


To Live for the Hope of It All

by momentofchaos



Series: Brought Me to You [1]
Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV)
Genre: Adorable FitzSimmons (Agents of SHIELD), Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Christmas, F/M, Fanboy Phil Coulson, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, How Do I Tag, Minor Peggy Carter/Daniel Sousa, Phil Coulson & Melinda May are Skye's Parents, Skye | Daisy Johnson Needs a Hug, Team as Family, Thanksgiving, bit of angst?, coffee shop AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-16
Updated: 2020-08-26
Packaged: 2021-03-06 04:36:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 12
Words: 28,087
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25937524
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/momentofchaos/pseuds/momentofchaos
Summary: New York had become a sour place for him, and although he was leaving behind a great number of friends and family behind, his work required inspiration that the great city could no longer supply. The monotonous pace of life had caused him to become settled, a hinderance on his creative flow of his writing. His brain itched for adventure and variety, to expand his work beyond the limits of his humdrum life under the cloudy air of the city. He would no doubt miss the yellow cabs, busy streets and constant noise of concrete jungle, but his nature leant him to challenge himself. Maybe California could be the change he needed.Or: A run of the mill Coffee Shop AU with the Man Out of Time and Quake.
Relationships: Jemma Simmons & Skye | Daisy Johnson, Leo Fitz/Jemma Simmons, Phil Coulson/Melinda May, Skye | Daisy Johnson/Daniel Sousa
Series: Brought Me to You [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1895848
Comments: 134
Kudos: 243





	1. A New Life Under A Bright Sky

**Author's Note:**

> I needed to do something to hide my sadness that my favourite show is over. 
> 
> I adore these two and here we are. I've seen a few fics like this on here, which inspired me to write my own!
> 
> Please let me know what you think and any ideas you have.
> 
> Its also only edited by me so if something doesn't make sense that's my fault!
> 
> I also have no idea about Prosthetics, I've tried to do my research but some of it may be wrong. Let me know if I can fix it!

It had been a long time since he had been to the West Coast. Not since his parents had taken him and his siblings to visit their cousins in Oregon when he was 12. New York had become a sour place for him, and although he was leaving behind a great number of friends and family behind, his work required inspiration that the great city could no longer supply. The monotonous pace of life had caused him to become settled, a hinderance on his creative flow of his writing. His brain itched for adventure and variety, to expand his work beyond the limits of his humdrum life under the cloudy air of the city. He would no doubt miss the yellow cabs, busy streets and constant noise of concrete jungle, but his nature leant him to challenge himself. Maybe California could be the change he needed.

Getting off the plane felt like he had entered another time entirely. The wave of heat hit him at full force as he reached the tarmac and he removed his jacket. This was polar opposite from the September weather he had left behind, where winter jackets were beginning to be brought out of closets. The sun was high in the sky and as Daniel exited the airport with luggage in tow, he was puzzled by the appearance of palm trees lining the highways. Before he left Peggy had told him a bit about LA, from experience of working in a publishing house at here for a few months, however he was heading to the outskirts of San Francisco. As he got into a taxi and it set off to the hotel he was staying in for the next weeks, he thought back to his last conversation he had had with Peggy before they parted ways, desperate to remember every second of their time together.

They had only been dating a few months, after the tension between them at work lead to a fairly spontaneous kiss after closing on Daniel’s newest book, Dark Matter. They had begun seeing each other and it was working well, they’re professional compatibility flowing well into the ups and downs of their new relationship. But there was always insecurity in the back of Daniel’s head, of the idea that Peggy was too good for him and that she deserved so much more than what he could offer her as a middle of the road author with a prosthetic leg. These insecurities really came to the forefront when Peggy’s ex returned from his trip overseas and lead to inevitable end of their relationship. They were still friends, if you could call it that and they still worked together although it was not the same as before. However happy Daniel tried to be for Peggy, there was part of him that knew he needed to leave so as not to drive himself crazy with jealousy.

So here he was, the opposite side of the country, in a new city to start again, safe in his ideas that he was going to live out the rest of his life as a bachelor. The hotel he had booked was nice enough, the bed was comfy, and it was a short walk to an area with shops and cafés. The view was the best part, spanning out to an endless sea, making him feel as if he was quite literally at the edge of the world, a direct contrast from the busy skyline of his hometown. After checking in and unpacking what clothes he had with him, he quickly showered and changed into fresh clothes. He took a walk along the seafront before stopping at a diner for dinner, soaking in the quiet ambience of this new city. He’d start looking for apartments tomorrow. He couldn’t work out why, but there was something that was drawing him to this place. His walk back to the hotel as the sun was setting was pleasant, the salt air washing over him and he sighed. This was what he needed, a fresh start. A new life under the bright sky.


	2. Discovering the Light(house)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Daniel stumbles across a quaint coffee shop.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I swear these chapters get longer. But probably worse.

As the sunlight broke through the blinds, Daniel turned over and looked at the clock. 7:30am. Being a writer, it would be easy for Daniel to set his day around his writing and have relaxed approach to waking up and going to sleep. However, for some reason he always woke up before 8am, eager to get up and start his day. Maybe it was something drilled into him by his parents when he was young, or something he’d picked up after he’d been in the accident that caused him to lose his leg. He was always ready to start the day, found it difficult to stay in bed for no reason. With one final stretch, he reached for his prosthetic, securing it in place before getting ready for the day. He followed his usual routine for his day ahead. When it was a day set aside for writing he had a routine of getting dressed in more formal clothing, a button up shirt and smart trousers, as if he was going into an office job. He said it made him more productive. But today was a day for exploring, and hopefully doing a bit of apartment shopping. After pulling his jeans and t-shirt, he decided to forgo his jacket, remembering the heat from yesterday. With his laptop, phone and wallet secure in his rucksack, he left the hotel, heading away from the coast, further into town.

He passed shops full of tourist pieces, just opening up before the majority of visitors descended. He passed a small art museum and the local cinema, revelling in the quietness off the streets, a far cry from the usual rush hour of New York. He was able to walk down the sidewalk and cross the road without much fuss, watching some older ladies shuffle around ahead of him. One of them dropped their purse to the floor and Daniel bent down to pick it up, handing it back to her with a charming smile.

“Thank you dear” she smiled back at him.

“No worries” he replied, moving around her. He wandered through a park, shifting his backpack on his shoulders. There were a few children on the playground, filling the air with sounds of laughter and joy. Their mothers watched on, chatting to each other with coffee gripped in their hands. It was at this moment that Daniel realised he was hungry. Looking at his watch, he realised it was 8:45am, definitely time for his first caffeine hit of the day. He left the park and headed down a small street lined with shops. He looked up at the sign for this particular coffee shop. “The Lighthouse”.

Once inside, he looked around to see exposed brick walls lined with books and plants, as well as a comfy seating in the windows, as well as a bar with stools along one wall opposite the counter. Above the bar hung a large landscape picture of a lighthouse on an outcrop of land with the sea crashing against it. In the back of the shop there was an unlit fireplace flanked by a sofa on either side with a small wooden coffee table in the middle. There were picture frames adorning the mantle, that Daniel couldn’t quite make out from where he was standing near the door.

“Hi, can I help you?” a soft voice said from behind the counter. Daniel whirled around to a petite brunette stood behind the counter.

“Yeah, I’ll take a black coffee and whatever breakfast food you recommend?” he replied, giving her a smile.

“Ok, I’d recommend the English muffin with eggs and bacon, if you’re after savoury, or our blueberry muffin if you’re after something sweet”.

“Let’s start with the English muffin” he chuckled, pulling his wallet out “I’m taking it that you’re not around either from here with that accent?”

“Nope, Sheffield, England. You're not from round here then?” the girl replied, starting to prepare the coffee.

“Flew in from New York yesterday, originally from Idaho though” he pushed the money across the counter and waited for his change.

“Ah new in town? I’m sure you’ll love it, we all do” she said handing him his coffee, “I’ll bring your food over when it’s done” and with that she disappeared into the back of the shop. Daniel wandered over to the window seating, taking advantage of being the only customer in the store at the time. He popped the coffee down on the table and took out his laptop, pulling up apartment listings once he connected to the Wi-Fi. He began to scroll through the options as more people trickled into the shop. The girl from behind the counter, whose name was Jemma he found out, brought out his food and then returned to serving her other guests, the quiet bustle of the store turning into background noise as he alternated between eating, drinking and scrolling through the listings.

He shortlisted a few in the leather-bound notebook he had brought with him and pulled out his phone to call the attached numbers when he heard the front door swing open with force, and a young woman stumbled in.

“Sorry Jemma! I’m here I swear. May and Coulson will kill me if they find out I was late while they are away,” she shouted in the direction of the kitchen. Daniel straightened in his seat as he watched the women round the counter and put her bag down, pulling on a black apron. She was beautiful, he thought to himself, as he watched her start brewing a cup of coffee. Her brunette hair was highlighted with blonde streaks, which framed her face and bounced around her shoulders as she chuckled at Jemma rolling her eyes. Her laughter was soft and warm. She turned to serve the next customer in line, briefly catching Daniel’s eyes. He looked away quickly, not want her to think he was creeping. She carried on serving customer as he tried to refocus on his laptop screen. He wasn’t here to find someone; he was here to work. He finished his coffee and rang the first realtor on his list, unconsciously watching the girl out of the corner of his eye as she moved round the shop.


	3. True to Her Word

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Daisy was in a rush, the last day before May and Coulson were back from their vacation and she was running late. Not that was unusual for her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Two chapters in one day, because why not?
> 
> Hope you enjoy a bit of Daisy POV.

Daisy was in a rush, the last day before May and Coulson were back from their vacation and she was running late. Not that was unusual for her. Her work as a freelance computer specialist meant that she often worked through the night and woke up mid-morning or sometimes mid-afternoon if it had been a particularly long night. But she had made a promise to Coulson and been on the receiving end of a death stare from May, that she would help Jemma with the coffee shop while they were taking a well deserved vacation. And true to her word, she had been there every morning before the shop opened with Jemma to serve the morning rush of customers. But, this morning, she hadn’t been woken by an alarm but by the neighbour’s dog barking. After checking her phone and realising the time, she had leaped out of bed and pulled on her clothes as fast as she could. Black jeans paired with a grey sweater was the best she could do before she hurriedly brushed her teeth. She quickly fired off a text to Jemma explaining why she was late and ran out the door, grabbing her phone and laptop bag as she left her apartment.

She threw her bag into the passenger seat of her car and started up the engine, pulling out onto the road. The drive to the shop was short, and even if she walked it wasn’t far, but her lateness dictated that driving was necessary. She pulled up in the alley behind the shop and ran around to the front door, throwing it open in front of her. She shouted in the general direction of the kitchen, apologising to Jemma. A quick scan of the shop showed it was relatively quiet, a few regulars sipping lattes at the bar. Someone she didn’t recognise was sat in the window seat that she frequented often, but Jemma emerging from the kitchen tore her attention away from him. She walked towards her and put her bag in the cubby she had claimed as her own.

“Sorry, my alarm didn’t go off?” she offered to Jemma, who responded with her signature eye roll. The look was one that made Daisy chuckle, as it was a look Jemma reserved for those she really cared about, a direct departure from her normally polite, strait-laced front she put on for the customers. She shrugged on her apron and turned towards the small line of customers that was stood at the counter. Clocking into the system she had helped set up for Coulson, she glanced at the guy she had seen when she entered. She was surprised to see he was looking straight back at her, before his cheeks flushed and he quickly looked back at his laptop. She smiled; he was cute. The way he ran his hand through his curls when he was concentrating, or the way his brow furrowed when he was concentrating on his screen. She shook her head to shake the thought of him, as she greeted her first customer of the day.

The morning rush was over, and the shop had become quieter, so Jemma told Daisy to go get started with the computer work she needed to do. After making her iced coffee, she took out her laptop and sat down on the end of the bar to crack on with the inventory. In the past few years, Daisy had made it her mission to get the shop up to date with modern technology for Coulson and May. She felt that it was the least she could do, after everything they had done for her. They had become her family, and had got her to where she was today, no longer living in a van and no longer alone in the world, fending only for herself. She struggled to express how grateful she was for them, so she began helping out the best way she knew how. Between putting in shifts whenever they needed her, she had put in an electronic point of service system, as well as an integrated inventory database, that made everything run more efficiently with as little hassle as possible. She had also organised the Wi-Fi system installation, in order to bring the homely shop slightly more into the 21st century. Coulson was a sucker for the history of anything and everything, but Daisy was adamant the shop didn’t need to be a complete homage to that.

Today was set aside to do a little system maintenance, before beginning a new coding project she’d been commissioned to do. In between sips of coffee, her gaze drifted towards the man sat in the corner a few times. He was looking intently at his screen and scribbling something down in his notebook. He sat straight in the chair, with one leg stretched out to the side of the table. His white t-shirt was crisp and neat. Daisy jumped when Jemma put a plate down next to her.

“Someone caught your eye?” she smirked, glancing in his direction. Daisy’s cheeks flushed red and she playfully hit her friend on the arm, shaking her head.

“Absolutely not, you know me” she sighed

“His name’s Daniel, he’s just moved here from New York. He seems nice, you should go say hello” Jemma encouraged her gently, “You deserve nice. You did say you wanted your own Fitz.”

“I was not at all sober when I said that.” Daisy glanced in his direction as he picked up his phone and began to dial a number. “I don’t know if I can” she said quietly.

Jemma touched her arm, in quiet recognition of what her friend was feeling. Daisy hadn’t had the easiest life and the past few years had been better but not completely trauma free. Her first boyfriend when she moved to town, Miles, had gone behind her back to get a job she desperately needed at the time. The next guy who came into her life turned out to be a vicious manipulative psychopath. The very idea of him made Jemma’s blood boil, she had even threatened to kill him at one point, in an effort to protect Daisy.

Lincoln had been a nice change of pace for Daisy, they were both a little broken and were helping to build each other back up, when disaster struck, and he didn’t make it. A part of Daisy died with him. An unfillable hole was left in her heart. Her new family of May, Coulson, Jemma and Fitz, became her biggest support system, and over time she began to heal. Although, there was still days where shouldn’t close her eyes without seeing his face in her mind, and she had resigned herself to the fact that she had already had the love of her life, destined to be alone for the rest of her time. Independent and strong.

They were both broken out of their thoughts, when Daniel stood up, causing both of them to jump slightly. He smiled at them and opened his mouth,

‘Sorry, didn’t mean to startle you both. I was just wondering if I could grab one of those blueberry muffins before I head out?”

“Of course, you can” Jemma said returning his smile, “Daniel, this is Daisy, my best friend, fellow barista, local computer expert to name a few things.” Daisy rolled her eyes and elbowed Jemma in the ribs as she wandered to get the baked good.

“Daisy was it?” he said with a chuckle, extending his hand, “Daniel Sousa.”

“Yup Daisy Johnson” she smiled shaking his hand, “Jemma says you’re new in town?”

“Yup, I’m actually off to look at apartments this afternoon.”

“Ah, further into the city?” she questioned. That’s where most people headed.

“I considered it, but I want something that looks out over the sea. I think I’ve had enough of cities for now” he said. Daisy felt her cheeks go warm as he talked to her, locking eyes with her. He was actually talking to her. As she opened her mouth to respond, Jemma appeared at her side and handed Daniel a paper bag. As he pulled out his wallet to pay for it, Jemma shook her head and smiled at him, “On the house, a welcome to town present from the Lighthouse”.

“Oh, thank you” he said smiling back at her, before flicking his gaze back to Daisy, “I better head off then”. He bent down to pick up his bag and shifted it onto his shoulder, “Nice to meet you both, I’m sure I’ll be back soon.” Daisy saw a sparkle in his eyes as he turned to the door, giving her the most enchanting smile. The corner of her mouth twitched up into small smile as she saw him walk past the window and down the street.

“Told you he was nice.” Jemma smirked as she bumped shoulders with her friend, turning on her heel to head into the kitchen to prepare for the lunch rush. ‘ _She wasn’t wrong’_ Daisy thought to herself. Maybe there was a flutter in her stomach, but she wasn’t ready for anything more than friends. Was she?


	4. Until Next Time

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It wasn’t a tradition. Not yet. It was only the second day. But Daniel found himself yet again walking toward the Lighthouse coffee shop. He knew why he woke up for that morning planning to go there, and it wasn’t because of the coffee or breakfast foods. It was the girl. Woman. Daisy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Slight language warning, I guess?
> 
> I'm not great with dialogue, and this gets pretty dialogue heavy from now on. 
> 
> Let me know what you think.

It wasn’t a tradition. Not yet. It was only the second day. But Daniel found himself yet again walking toward the Lighthouse coffee shop. He knew why he woke up for that morning planning to go there, and it wasn’t because of the coffee or breakfast foods. It was the girl. Woman. Daisy. He’d realised that every time he talked to her, his stomach flipped, and he couldn’t help but look at her bewitching eyes.

After the first day he met her, he returned to the coffee shop the next day to find her behind the counter, taking another customers order. He watched her natural smile and the laugh she shared with Jemma. The way her hair bounced in the ponytail she had it tied up in, as she moved, the streaks of blonde bunched together. When it was his turn to order, he made small talk and asked her how her morning had been so far. She asked him about the apartments he had viewed, and they carried on chatting while she made his coffee. They shared shy smiles and she gently teased him about his basic coffee order, making him promise to let her make him something different next time he came in. He agreed, giddy at the very thought of the fact that she wanted to see him.

As he sat down, Daniel shook his head. How did he feel so comfortable with her? He glanced over at her. He didn’t expect to be enchanted by a girl he had only just met, and yet here he was. _‘C’mon Sousa, she isn’t thinking about you like that’_ he thought to himself, getting out his laptop and notebook.

He flicked through more apartment listings for a while, not much peaking his interest, when he was suddenly pulled out of his bubble by a loud yelp.

“Shit!” Daisy yelped followed by a loud clatter, and he was on his feet and at the counter before he could think about it. He saw steam pouring out of one end of the coffee machine and a coffee smashed on the floor below it.

“JEMMA” Daisy yelled to the kitchen, panicked.

“Turn it off!” the young British women yelled, running out of the kitchen.

Out of instinct, Daniel pulled the plug out of the outlet behind the machine and the steam slowly stopped pluming out of the machine. He looked to Daisy with concern, “Are you okay?”

“Yeah it didn’t get me, thanks for that,” she smiled back at him, stooping to pick up the smashed cup.

“I’ll go ring Fitz” Jemma said grabbing her phone and wandering to the back of the store.

“Who’s Fitz?” Daniel asked Daisy inquisitively, as she dumped the broken cup in the bin and grabbed the mop.

“Ah, Fitz is her boyfriend. He’s the resident coffee machine expert. You sticking round for a bit?” Daniel nodded “Ah, wait till he gets here. You’ll get to see the Fitzsimmons first hand.” She added with a smirk, that made Daniels’s stomach flip again. After sending her a quizzical look, he returned to his window seat. It wasn’t long until the door swung open and a shorter man walked in carrying a toolbox.

“Jemma, I’m here” his voice carried around the room, Daniel noticed his Scottish accent. He was dressed in a charcoal sweater and some jeans that had slight grease stains on the knees. Jemma emerged from the kitchen with Daisy close behind her.

“Hi Fitz!” both women said in unison. Jemma greeted him with a kiss on the cheek before they both stood in front of the subject coffee machine, quietly talking to each other while surveying the damage. Daniel realised Daisy sat down opposite him, placing a blueberry muffin on the table in front of him.

“I didn’t order this” he said.

“I know, I just needed an excuse. I love watching new people react to them. I’ll share it with you if it makes you feel better?” He sighed and nodded in agreement. It was so strange to him that she seemed as comfortable with him, practically a stranger, but didn’t question it too much. He wasn’t uncomfortable in her presence and he could use a friend.

She tore off half the muffin and sat back, turning her attention back to her friends. Daniel followed suit.

“It just exploded. I was wondering if—”

“—it was the pressure valve causing—”

“—over-pressurisation in the machine—”

“—which would explain the malfunction.”

Daniel watched in awe as the two continued to discuss possible cause of the problem, talking over each other, yet completely in sync. Fitz began to open the machine up, continuing his conversation with Jemma as she passed him the tools he needed, seemingly by natural instinct. It was clearly Daisy was watching him as his jaw dropped in awe.

“How are they like that?” he asked, looking at her finally.

“They’ve been like that since I knew them. They met when they both came over from the UK to start their degrees early. They were only 16, and they’ve been psychically linked since. After being best friends for five or so years, they started dating.” She sipped her own coffee, “Even if I had to give them a nudge into it.” He listened intently as Daisy briefly explained how they were both studying for their PhDs at the moment, Jemma working in the coffee shop to help pay rent and Fitz used his engineering education to fix things for people for the same reason.

“What do you do anyway?” she questioned him with a raised eyebrow.

“I’m a writer, fiction mostly.” He replied, “you?”

“Oh, I’m a computer specialist. Used to hack a lot, but I’ve put those days behind me” she chuckled, “and I help out here when they need me.” They carried on chatting while they shared the muffin.

“What about family? You leave any of them behind in New York?” she asked curiously.

“My old man, two sisters, couple of niece and nephews. I will miss them. But they’ll also come and visit. The kiddos would love the beach. The old man would love this place,” he gestured to the shop. “How about you?”

“These guys are it. Coulson and May are practically my parents and Fitzsimmons over there are like my siblings, along with the rest of our little group? They are my family.” She looked slightly wistful at the thought of them. She’d realised a couple of years ago that the thing she had been looking for, for years, was the people she now found herself surrounded by on a daily basis. She was so grateful for every single one of them, having spent her entire life alone. Daniel noticed her change in tone and decided that now was not the time to pry and ask more questions.

“It’s good to keep them close.” He started, noticing Fitz and Jemma walking over to them.

“Fitzy! You manage to fix the machine with your magic engineering.” Daisy exclaimed teasing the Scottish man comfortably.

“It’s not magic Daisy, it’s science” he replied. They started bantering easily between them.

Jemma looked between the two of them and then to Daniel, who was sat watching the interaction with a somewhat confused smile on his face.

“Oh Fitz, this is Daniel. Daniel, this is Fitz.”

Daniel reached out to shake hands with the younger man “Nice to meet you.”

“Yeah nice to meet you too mate.” Fitz replied, shaking his hand. “Right I’ve got to get to school, I’ve got a lab to finish. I’ll pick you up later Jem?” he uttered as he pressed a kiss to her temple and picked up his tool box. “ See you all later!” And like that he was gone.

“And that’s Fitz,” Daisy said to Daniel.

“Actually, I’ve got to get going. More places to see with the realtors today.” He smiled at Daisy “Can I pay for that blueberry muffin, please?”

“Nope! I ate most of it anyway. May’s not here to shout at me either so, it’s fine” the brunette chuckled.

“This May sounds a bit scary if I’m honest” he suggested with a smirk.

“Wait till you meet her, that smirk won’t last long under her glare Danny” she replied with a completely straight face, which broke when she saw the writer’s face flicker to one of slight intimidation. She laughed, “She’s alright really, once she warms up to you. Which I am sure she will.”

Daniel chuckled and slung his bag over his right shoulder and held his hand out to Daisy, “Until next time, Miss Johnson”. Daisy took his hand and they shook, a silent exchange that existed solely within their eye contact. They stood like that for probably a moment too long before they both let go and awkwardly looked at the floor.

“Until next time Mr Sousa.” She replied, making eye contact with him one more time as he reached for the door and sent a brief wave to Jemma. He sent her another of his charming smiles, which sent a flutter through her chest.

_Until next time._


	5. That Didn't Happen Often.

What Daniel Sousa didn’t know was that next time he entered the Lighthouse wasn’t going to be exactly as he had expected when he entered the coffee shop the next morning. He had called the realtor on the walk, who wasn’t used to getting offers on apartments at 7:30am. He had put an offer on a nice apartment he had seen the previous day and couldn’t be more excited to hear if it had been accepted or not. The past couple of days had been great and Daniel felt in his gut that this was the place for him. Of course, that was nothing to do with the beautiful barista/computer specialist he had met a few days ago. Nothing at all.

So, when he opened the door to the coffee shop with somewhat a skip in his step, he looked for straight to the counter to see that it was not Daisy, or even Jemma. Instead a small Asian woman was stood at the counter, a somewhat stern look on her face. Slightly disappointed, _‘That must be May’_ he thought to himself. He put on his best smile and walked up to the counter, greeting the lady (not by name, he didn’t want to appear weird) and ordering his usual black coffee along with an egg and bacon English muffin. He thanked the women as she moved to make his coffee and slid the appropriate cash across the counter. As he took the coffee and turned to head to his normal window seat, a voice was heard coming from the entrance to the kitchen.

“Woah you’re Daniel Sousa.” Now that didn’t happen often. He turned to find the source of the voice and his eyes fell on a man, slightly older, wearing a grey button up shirt and an apron scrawled with the message _‘Kiss the Chef’. ‘And that must be Coulson’_ Daniel deduced, Daisy’s brief description of him during their conversation yesterday had given him several clues.

‘Erm, yeah that’s me” Daniel replied somewhat awkwardly.

“Phil Coulson, this is my wife Melinda. It’s a pleasure to meet you, I really enjoy your novels.” the man said walking up to the counter and offered his hand to Daniel. Ever the gentleman, Daniel shook Phil’s hand firmly.

“Thanks, I appreciate it.”

“What are you doing in California? I thought your dustjacket said you lived in New York?”

“I have just moved, needed some new inspiration” Daniel replied, and just has he did so the front door of the store swung open.

“I told you you’d meet them,” from behind Daniel came the sweet voice Daniel had wanted to hear this morning. He spun around to see Daisy stood in front of him wearing a floral dress with her golden caramel hair flowing round her shoulder. She had a smile on her face that caused Daniel to shudder slightly under her gaze. The light streaming in through the front windows of the store gave her a golden glow to her skin.

“I guess you did” he replied shooting her a grin back.

“How the hell, do you know Daniel Sousa?” Coulson questioned his surrogate daughter with surprise. Daisy’s attention flicked to the older man and she looked at him with an equally surprised look on her face.

“Erm… he came into the shop a few days ago and has been in every day since? How do you know him?”

“He wrote that book I was reading. ‘Dark Matter’,” Coulson replied as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

“Oh, so you’re being a fanboy? I am so sorry Daniel” the young women replied, teasing her father figure, waggling her eyebrows.

“It’s quite alright with me.” Daniel said putting his hands up to avoid this mock conflict. He smiled wide by seeing how happy Daisy seemed around him.

“I come back from vacation and this is the abuse I get from her; lovely you are Daisy.” Coulson replied sarcastically. Daisy passed Daniel and rounded the counter, throwing her arms around Coulson’s neck in a hug that was quickly returned.

“Sorry AC, I did miss you. You too May.” Daisy said as she moved to wrap the women in her arms briefly. “Did you bring me any presents?”

“You know you’re not 10 years old right?” May questioned with a straight face. Daisy rolled her eyes at her, and looked to Phil who shrugged his shoulders, playing along with his wife. He could only wait a few seconds before he pulled out a plastic bag from under the counter and handed it to her. She giggled with the young glee of a small child and reached into the bag. Daniel took this as his cue to back away from the small family and take up his seat by the window. He watched as Daisy unwrapped a small fridge magnet in the shape of whatever country the pair had visited. Along with a huge bag of candy, from an airport no doubt. Daisy wrapped both of her people in a bear hug as she said thank you and promised to share the candy with Fitz and Simmons. She sent Daniel at wink as she saw him watching their interaction and he chuckled under his breath, pulling out a novel Peggy had sent him to read for a possible review. Daniel began to read until his food was put down on the small round coffee table in front of him. He met Daisy’s eyes and thanked her.

“Do you mind if I sit here? I need to get some work done.” She asked patting her messenger bag.

“Sure. I could always do with the company.” He smiled, as she settled into the chair opposite him. He glanced over as she slid her ballet pumps off, tucked her feet up under her and balanced her laptop on her knees, staring intently at the screen. Amidst furious typing, Daniel watched as Daisy tucked her long hair behind her ears and flicked it behind her shoulders in one swift motion, exposing delicate collarbones. He shook his head and refocused on the novel he held in his hands, but he could swear he saw her smirk as she did.

* * *

A comfortable silence stretched between the pair, with only the sounds of typing and pages flicking adding to the ambient noise of the coffee shop. Occasionally, they snuck glances at each other, under the disguise of sipping their drinks, before quickly looking back at their respective works to not notify the other of their curious interest in them. The peaceful environment was broken when Daniel’s phone buzzed on the table, making them both jump slightly in their seat.

He mouthed an apology at her as he scooped up the offending device and pressed to his ear and left the shop. Daisy watched as he paced back and forth in front of the store front. He stopped and made a slight fist-pump and turned back towards the shop with a huge grin on his face.

“Good news?” she asked as he entered the store, returning his joyful smile.

“Well, my offer has been accepted on my new apartment, it’ll be mine as of Friday.”

Daisy could feel the happiness coming off him as he sat down. He looked at his phone again briefly, typing a message out to someone.

“Which means I can get all my stuffed shipped from New York as soon as possible”

“Oh, so you’re planning to stay here for a while then?” she questioned curiously. Her heart skipped at the idea of him sticking around, but she put that down to not wanting to let go of her new friend quite so soon.

“Yeah, erm… I can’t put my finger on why, but I think this is the place for me.” He replied looking out the window. The street was getting busy, the usual rush of little old ladies and mums with babies making their way out of the house in the mornings.

“Well, if you need help putting furniture together, you know where I am. I take payment in pizza,” she teased.

“Hey, I might take you up on that offer. That would make us friends, right?” he chuckled, with a slightly serious tone under it.

“Yeah I suppose it does, Daniel” she said with a smirk, emphasizing his name while holding her hand out, “Give me your phone.” He complied immediately and she tapped on his phone before handing it back to him. “Now you have my number so you can text me if you need me.”

He looked befuddled for a moment, before sending her a smile that made her insides melt a little.

“Okay, I will. I’ve got to get going to the realtors to sign the papers, but I’ll see you tomorrow?” he said packing his bag and standing up to put his coffee cup and plate on the counter.

“Till next time, Daniel,” she smiled, mimicking his goodbye from the day before, sticking her hand out to him. He shook it and chuckled,

“Till next time, Daisy.”


	6. Who Does That? Daniel Sousa Apparently.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hitting send, he put the phone down and walked away, exhaling a breath he didn’t know he had been holding. He looked out at the sea, the floor to ceiling windows of his living room letting in the bright light of the rising sun. Why was he nervous? He had seen Daisy every day at the Lighthouse, they were friends. This was fine, a normal friendly thing to ask a friend. A friend.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bit of a longer chapter.
> 
> Once again I know very little about prosthetics and my research may not be fully accurate, so let me know if I can fix anything!
> 
> Enjoy!

A week later and it was a consistent routine for Daniel. An early walk down the beach. Breakfast and coffee at the Lighthouse. An engaging chat with Daisy, who was almost always there, and if she wasn’t there when he got there, she’d turn up soon after he did, offering him a genuine smile and morning greeting. They’d make small talk, or she’d work while he read or ordered furniture for his new apartment. Sometimes he’d ask her opinion on certain pieces, and she’d give it, unashamed and honest. Especially at a black and white geometric rug he thought would look good, but quickly changed that opinion when Daisy almost sprayed her drink everywhere upon him showing it to her on the website. Instead, she helped him pick out a slightly less in-your-face option.

He was having some of the furniture he had put in storage in New York, shipped over, and they were due on the following Tuesday. On the Friday he had moved in with the little belongings he had, and a mattress he had managed to get delivered the same day. The apartment could be described as a bachelor pad he guessed, but that’s not what drew Daniel to this particular place. The navy panelled walls and hardwood floors made him feel like he could put his own mark on the place. And the view of the bay was unparalleled, with the large floor to ceiling windows allowing light to shine through the entire open living space of the apartment. One of the requirements of his house hunting, had been space for an office, so he could write from home, and also bring his big desk in from New York. The large antique desk had been the one thing he had bought for himself when his first book published, and he’d written the majority of the rest of his books at that desk ever since. Something about the sturdiness and strength of the desk made him feel accomplished, making his childhood dream of being an author seem like the reality it was, even when Daniel was in disbelief.

He’d spent the weekend getting bits and pieces in town, making sure to stop by the Lighthouse once a day, exchange gentle conversation with Jemma or discussing the local history with Coulson. When Monday came around, he didn’t have time to sit in and eat as he normally would, due to the delivery of the furniture he had to order. He wandered up to the counter and was met by Jemma, asking politely for his order to be in a take-out cup.

Jemma raised her eyebrows at this, “I’m sure Daisy will be disappointed,” she teased with a smirk. Daniel blushed slightly, feeling his cheeks heat up slightly

“Well, I’ll be sure to make it up to her” he replied, handing over the money and sliding a couple of bills into the tip jar. Jemma smirked as she handed him the coffee, “Make sure you do”.

Daniel left the shop with a smile on his face and began his walk back to the apartment, it was a slightly further walk, but it was still down the beach and to have a place to call his own made it worth it. He had taken to using the elevator a bit more than he usually did, as the walk took somewhat of a toll on his leg after the walk. As he entered his new place, he dropped his keys on the kitchen counter and threw away the coffee cup, before taking out his phone.

Pulling up his text messages, he began to type one out to Daisy. He ummed and ahhed about what to put, overanalysing and deleting several potential messages before he wrote one that he thought was good enough. The irony was clear to him, he could write multiple well-selling novels but a text message to a beautiful woman stumped him. He reread the message,

_“Hey its me. If you’re offer still stands, I’m willing to buy pizza tomorrow night? Let me know – Sousa x”_

Hitting send, he put the phone down and walked away, exhaling a breath he didn’t know he had been holding. He looked out at the sea, the floor to ceiling windows of his living room letting in the bright light of the rising sun. Why was he nervous? He had seen Daisy every day at the Lighthouse, they were friends. This was fine, a normal friendly thing to ask a friend. A friend.

Just as he descended into his spiralling thoughts, he was pulled out of them by his phone buzzing on the kitchen counter. He picked it up with the nerves of a teenage boy talking to a girl for the first time. He chuckled at the message and typed out a quick reply.

“ _Only if it’s pepperoni. Text me the address. – Daisy x”_

_“You have yourself a deal x”_

* * *

As Daisy rode up in the elevator, she admired the building Daniel had chosen. It was definitely nicer than her apartment. This had a door man and everything. Coulson had told her a little bit about just how successful an author Daniel Sousa was, but she didn’t want to pry or make assumptions, so she hadn’t looked him up or anything. Although it was clear he had done well for himself by the look of this place. As she exited the lift, she adjusted her top and smoothed out her jeans. She hadn’t ‘dressed up’ for the occasion, they were going to be moving boxes anyway, but she wanted to look nice. For her friend. Daniel, her friend.

She found his apartment door and knocked before she thought about it. A few moments past and the door swung open to reveal the author smiling at her. He was wearing the jeans she had got used to seeing him in, along with a white t-shirt, which she noticed was tight across his arms and shoulders. She stopped herself from staring at those arms, almost immediately, and smiled at him as he invited her in. As she entered the apartment, her breathe was immediately taken away by the view from the living room. Floor to ceiling windows stretched along the back wall, giving a gorgeous panoramic view of the local bay. Without a lot of furniture, the room felt slightly hollow but there were a few boxes stacked up against the dark blue panelled wall and bookcase covered the opposing wall. Looking around the apartment, she turned to see the kitchen with grey marble surfaces and shiny new appliances.

“Woah” she let out of her mouth. She heard Daniel chuckle behind her, “You rich or something, Sousa?”

“Meh, I do okay.” He replied, running a hand through his hair with a slightly embarrassed smile on his face as he glanced around his new property. She grinned as he looked at her shyly.

“Right, where’s this pizza then?”

“Well, I thought I’d get the work out of you first.” He teased and checked his phone. “The trucks going to be here in ten, can I get you a drink or something?”

“Well how the tables have turned. I’ll take a beer if you’ve got one?” she giggled. He opened up the fridge and handed her a beer, taking one for himself as well. They both made eye contact as their hands brushed each other’s, feeling a slight shock go through both of them. They both giggled nervously and took a sip of their drinks. This was going to be an interesting day.

* * *

After a couple of hours of moving boxes up to his apartment, they only had the couch left to move, the last of many two person jobs of the day. They had both fallen into an easy rhythm around each other after a few initial hiccups. They moved easily around each other and manoeuvring furniture around corners had become a piece of cake. However, the couch was bigger than everything else. It took some seriously challenging strategy to get it into the elevator, which left Daniel pushed up against the wall of the elevator, pinned by the grey sofa.

“Oh yeah, this is great fun” he uttered sarcastically, as Daisy howled with laughter in the corner. She whipped her phone out of her back pocket and took a quick picture, which managed to capture Daniel’s grimace as the sofa shifted slightly as the elevator started moving. She showed him the picture and continued laughing hard, as he rolled his eyes but joined in with her contagious laughter.

Once they got the sofa situated, looking out of the windows, Daisy excused herself to wash up as Daniel went to answer the door to the pizza delivery man. When she returned, she saw Daniel had put out a couple of beers either side of the pizza on the small coffee table in the centre of the room and was sat on the sofa waiting for her. It struck Daisy as kind of domestic, but she pushed that thought to the back of her mind as she took her seat next to him.

* * *

“How could they not have seen it? They are literally psychically linked!” Daniel said indignantly, letting a small laugh out. Daisy responded with a gleeful giggle that made his heart soar, as he watched her lounge on his couch with her feet tucked up under her, sipping her beer.

“None of us could ever work that out. They both were certain the other had no feelings for each other for ages. It wasn’t till I pried it out of Fitz, that I could convince him to just tell Jemma.” Daisy explained. She never got tired of her friends relationship and that was one of her greatest achievements, setting into motion them getting together.

“Unbelievable.” Daniel said shaking his head. “It must have been so obvious to you all.”

“It was, but it worked out eventually. Look at them now! I give it six months till Fitzy gets down on one knee.” She prophesised, “I personally can’t wait to be the maid of honour at that.” They fell into some comfortable silence as they each took bites of pizza.

“Okay, I have a question” Daniel said, looking at Daisy who nodded at him to continue as she chewed her Pizza. “Why do you call May and Coulson by their last names and not Phil and Melinda?”

Daisy swallowed “I’m not one hundred percent sure to be honest, they often call each other by their last names at the shop so I just think it stuck with me. They met at work before they semi-retired, and I’m not certain on what they did. Probably some super-secret spy stuff by the way May acts.” she proposed with an eyebrow raised in Daniel’s direction.

Daniel looked up in surprise at her and she let another giggle out.

“Nah I’m just joking, they said they met at a college academy, they were professors. So last names made sense” she said, laughing. Daniel laughed to, shifting to move the now empty pizza box and making a slight groan. “You okay there? You strain something lifting those boxes?”

“Nah, it’s just the leg acting up” he replied, patting the limb.

“Your leg?” she questioned, confusion passing over her face.

“Yeah, erm it’s a prosthetic” Daniel explained awkwardly, looking up at Daisy’s shocked face. “What? I haven’t mentioned that?”.

“Nope, did not know that about you.” She said not wanting to press the subject if he didn’t want to talk about it.

“Well, yeah. It gets a sore if I do a lot of activity on it suddenly.”

“Well, is there anything you need to do about that? Do you need to take it off? I can go if you want me to go?” Daisy said hurriedly. Daniel looked at her seriously for a minute. He had accepted a long time ago that this was a part of him now, but it didn’t mean he wasn’t insecure about it occasionally. He trusted Daisy though, which was strange to him in itself, as they’d only known each other a short while. She had spent the entire day helping him and chatting about their lives.

“No, it’s okay. I’ll just take it off for a bit.” He said, moving to roll up his pant leg. Daisy tried not to watch too much, as she wasn’t sure quite how comfortable he was in front of her. He detached the leg, leaning it up against the arm of the sofa, and pulled the pant leg down, after taking the liner off of his stump. “Well now that’s out of the way,” he said, awkwardly running his hands up and down his jeans, and moved his gaze from the floor, up at Daisy finally to see she was sending him a reassuring smile. It wasn’t one of pity that he was used to from people when they realised his handicap, but one of genuine happiness that he had shared it with her. Maybe even a bit of admiration? He shook the thought from his head with an awkward chuckle.

“I think you owe me now.” He said to Daisy and was met with a look of confusion, “I’ve told you one of my secrets. How did you meet Coulson and May?” Daisy took a deep breath and Daniel saw her face shift into one of slight discomfort. Shit, he’d pressed too hard. “I was just joking,” he backtracked quickly, “You don’t have to.”

She looked at his worried face and furrowed brow and sighed “No I should, it’s the best thing that ever happened to me. It’s just a lot of memories from an unhappy childhood.” Daniel nodded, intently listening, allowing her to open up if she wanted.

“So, it was 5 years ago, and I was living in a van, driving up and down the country, doing hacking jobs for some… shady organisations? I was using a laptop I won in a bet and really had no one in my life. Everyone left, after I phased out of the foster system no one was looking for me, or really cared.” Her eyes started to fill up with tears at the thought of her old life, no matter how hard she tried to fight it. Daniel hesitantly covered her hand with his own, stroking the back of her hand with his thumb comfortingly. “Anyway, one day I had been driving all day to get away from this obnoxious ex I had. I was tired and pulled into this alley, parked up and went to sleep. I woke up to Coulson knocking on my door with tea and a blueberry muffin. I’d happened to park in his spot behind the Lighthouse, and he wasn’t mad.”

“He took me into the shop and introduced me to May and Jemma. I met Fitz a little later. They let me stay parked behind the shop. Fed me for a few weeks. May taught me to meditate and do Tai Chi. Fitz built me a proper laptop. Coulson got me my first computer consultant gig. Jemma was my shoulder to cry on. They took me in when no one wanted me. They became my family,” she said, wiping a stray tear from her cheek. Daisy looked to Daniel, who was gave her a look that she could only assume was genuine interest.

“I’m glad you found them” he said, taking her hand in his own and giving it a gentle squeeze. She smiled at him; he was like no one she’d ever really met. He had the grace of a gentleman, listened to her and comforted her when she was upset, but fully respected her and her opinions, trusting in her strength and integrity. Who does that? Daniel Sousa apparently.


	7. Maybe Light Could Shine Through

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The taxi pulled up at the bar a few minutes late, and Daniel handed driver the money he owed and was out of the car before Daisy even realised what was happening. She opened her door and Daniel offered her his hand to help her step out. She took it and shut the door behind her before they walked into the bar, bumping shoulders as they entered. Daniel looked around the bar. It reminded him of some of the nicer bars he’d had book publication parties in, in New York. The bar itself took up one long wall of the room, whose walls were all exposed brick similar to that of the Lighthouse. There were booths around the other two walls, with tables scattered in the middle. It was busy, as was to be expected on a Friday night, and a little loud. Daisy turned around to him and stood on her tiptoes so he could hear her.
> 
> “Welcome to the Playground.”
> 
> or the one where Daniel meets the rest of the team.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm really enjoying writing this! 
> 
> Thanks for all the lovely comments, I hope you all enjoy the introduction to the rest of the team!

After that evening, Daniel and Daisy grew closer. They’d carried on talking till late in the night about almost everything. They talked of his family back in New York and her biggest dreams for her future. They’d shared and listened to each other and shared genuine laughs.

Daisy had left his apartment that night feeling lighter than she had in a long time. She had never liked letting people in. It had taken weeks for her to let her guard down around Coulson and her family, and after that it had got a little easier. Ward had put a massive roadblock in that when he betrayed her trust and went behind her back. The walls were just beginning to go back up inside her when she met Lincoln. He climbed those walls and entered her life and heart. She missed him dreadfully, but she’d lost him, he was gone. After that the walls had gone up completely again. It had been three years since he passed, and she was doing a lot better than she had immediately after. She had tried to push her family and friends away, not wanting to feel the heart-breaking pain of losing anyone ever again. But they had stood by her, her pillars of support and unconditional love that she had never had before. They let her grieve and grieved with her, helping her to get back up again and carry on with her life. She never tried to move on. But she lived her life. Throwing herself into her work and helping her family, going out with her friends. The walls were still there, standing tall, but she was happy.

And then Daniel Sousa came to town. A handsome gentleman. An author. And he had listened and laughed and bonded with her so quickly. She felt at ease around him. They trusted each other for some unknown reason. Destiny some might say, but that wasn’t Daisy. She was glad she knew him. Maybe there was some cracks in the walls, maybe light could shine through.

* * *

As the days stretched into October, Daniel and Daisy met every day in the coffee shop, they would talk or work, silence stretching between them but never uncomfortable. Daisy began to notice things about Sousa. The way he ran his hands through his curls when he was thinking or nervous, or the way he always wore a button up shirt when he was writing. He jotted down notes or ideas in a leather-bound notebook with a fountain pen. This happened at random times when inspiration struck him, and he’d often fumble for his notebook mid-conversation or as he was walking. Although not for lack of trying, Daniel never showed Daisy any of his work, saying it wasn’t finished or ready yet, promising her that at some point, he would let her read it. He was relatively old fashioned, she often thought to herself, maybe slightly predictable. He had the same coffee every day, a simple black coffee, and there was no changing his mind. Even though she had tried, but his reaction to her chai tea latte had shown that, that avenue wasn’t one he was willing to go down.

One unusually cloudy morning, Daisy was helping Jemma open up the shop, when Daniel entered and approached the counter, a natural smile on his face as he saw the two women chatting.

“Good morning ladies,” he greeted them.

They both said hi back and Daisy approached him.

“I’ll have a ----”

“Black coffee” she interrupted, putting it on the counter immediately, with a smirk on her face.

“The English muffin is on now!” Jemma shouted from the kitchen.

Daniel looked at Daisy in surprise, which quickly turned to a laugh.

“How’d you know I wasn’t going to order one of your chocolate mocha chai things?” Daniel questioned, quirking one eyebrow up.

“I’d like to think I know you a bit better by now, Sousa” she teased, unable to stop herself smiling at the man.

“Well, I suppose I’m predictable then”

Jemma entered from the kitchen with his food and slid it across the counter to him as he swiped his card to pay for it.

“Did you ask him yet?” Jemma said to Daisy, sliding up to her.

“Ask me what?” Daniel said curiously.

“Real subtle Simmons,” Daisy muttered as she elbowed her best friend in the ribs.

“Ask me what?” Daniel repeated, the curiosity growing as he didn’t get an answer. Jemma stuck her tongue out at Daisy and nodded in his direction to her.

“Umm… a bunch of us are going into town next week for a few drinks at a bar we know. We were wondering if you wanted to come with us. You can meet the rest of the gang then?” she asked, with a somewhat nervous tone that Daniel picked up on.

“Sure, sounds like fun. Dress code?” Daniel replied immediately. _‘Probably a little too fast to answer there’_ he thought to himself.

“Erm… nice? It’s kind of a nice place? Shirt no tie kind of place?” Daisy replied, looking to Jemma who agreed with her conclusion.

“Cool. Do I need to be worried or something?”

“No? Why would you think that?” Daisy stuttered out.

“Because you’re nervous. I can tell. I know you pretty well at this point too.” He chuckled. Jemma joined in with a giggle and left the pair to it as she wandered in to the kitchen.

“I wasn’t sure you’d want to come to be honest, I didn’t think it was really your scene.” Daisy confessed, not really meeting his eyes and fidgeting with the bills in the cash drawer.

“Well, you’ll be there so I’ll be fine. I’m not a complete square you know?” he said, teasing her, while shooting her his standard charming smile. Her heart skipped slightly but she regained her composure and took her apron off and grabbed her laptop bag.

“Alright then, you can pick me up at 7:30 from mine? Probably best if we taxi in anyway?” she said as she rounded the counter and headed to their usual spot.

* * *

As Daniel Sousa found himself outside Daisy’s apartment door, he realised he was nervous. He was good with people, so meeting a bunch of new people shouldn’t be causing the butterflies in his stomach. After readjusting his blue shirt, he lifted his hand, taking a breath and knocked on the door. Moments later, the door swung open and Daniel’s jaw dropped. Daisy saw this and let out a laugh.

“Enjoying the view there, Sousa?” He was as it turns out. She was wearing a tight, figure hugging black velvet dress, which ended above her knees and silver heels which matched the clutch bag she was holding under arm as she fiddled with her keys. Her honey coloured hair fell in loose curls around her neck, from which hung a small silver pendant necklace.

“Erm… you look stunning” he managed to stutter out in his awkwardness of trying not to stare too much.

“You don’t look to bad yourself, Daniel,” she said straightening his collar slightly. They were close right now, Daniel watched as Daisy scanned his face, her gaze briefly flickering down to his lips. He took in a short breath.

“Right, we should get going or Jemma will kill us for being late” Daisy said heading for the exit, where Daniel had a taxi waiting for them.

* * *

The taxi pulled up at the bar a few minutes late, and Daniel handed driver the money he owed and was out of the car before Daisy even realised what was happening. She opened her door and Daniel offered her his hand to help her step out. She took it and shut the door behind her before they walked into the bar, bumping shoulders as they entered. Daniel looked around the bar. It reminded him of some of the nicer bars he’d had book publication parties in, in New York. The bar itself took up one long wall of the room, whose walls were all exposed brick similar to that of the Lighthouse. There were booths around the other two walls, with tables scattered in the middle. It was busy, as was to be expected on a Friday night, and a little loud. Daisy turned around to him and stood on her tiptoes so he could hear her.

“Welcome to the Playground.” He followed as she walked toward the corner booth, where a small group of people were greeting each other. He recognised Jemma and Fitz who were saying hugging another couple. The large man seemed to dwarf Fitz as he embraced him like an old friend would. Next to him, stood an athletic looking lady who stuck close to his side. Daisy quickened her pace in front of him to greet her friends. As she did, Daniel stood close by Jemma, as the only particularly familiar face he knew. Once Daisy was done hugging the couple, she introduced Daniel to the pair, as he shook both their hands.

“Daniel, meet Mack and Elena. Mack and Elena, Daniel.” Mack raised his eyebrows at Daisy, but said nothing other than give a friendly greeting to the man in question.

“Girl is that you?” came a voice from behind them. Everyone whirled around to see the source, and Daisy threw herself into the arms of the muscular man approaching them. Daniel felt a pang of jealousy in his stomach as the pair embraced but hid it from everyone around him.

“Trip!” Daisy explained as she squeezed the man, “It’s been so long!”

Jemma stepped closer to Daniel, “That’s Trip, he’s in the military for years, so we don’t get to see him a lot. Don’t worry, they’re just friends. Nothing for you to worry about” she said with a wink and gentle nudge. Before Daniel even had a chance to respond, Jemma was approaching Trip to greet him, with Fitz close on her heels after giving Daniel a friendly slap on the back. After greeting everyone Trip picked up the drink, he had put down to embrace Daisy.

“Daisy, who have you brought with you?” He said with a smirk on his face, bumping shoulders with her.

“Trip, this is my friend Daniel. Daniel, meet Antoine Triplett, or Trip.” She said returning to Daniel’s side, sharing a look with him. Daniel shook Trip’s hand and greeted him with a smile, as everyone began to sit down in the booth.

“I’m going to go buy drinks, who wants what?” Daisy said, putting her bag down and grabbing her card out of it. After collecting the drinks order, Daisy set off to the bar with Daniel in tow to help her carry them.

Trip turned to Jemma and Fitz, speaking directly to them “Yo Fitzsimmons, what’s the deal? Do they know they’re in love with each other?” Jemma turned to Fitz and held out her hand.

“You owe me $10 Fitz; I knew that someone else would realise before they did,” she giggled, turning back to Trip. “Neither of them has said anything yet, but it’s kind of obvious where this is heading. You should see them at the Lighthouse, it’s ridiculous how cute they are.”

“Well, if you two are anything to go by, they look like they’re also going need a push to see that in each other” Mack said, pointing at Fitz and Jemma, who both blushed and looked at each other, Fitz sliding his arm around Jemma’s waist and pulling her closer to him.

“By the looks of it, I don’t think they’ll need that push anyway.” Elena said, gesturing in the direction of the bar. They all looked to see Daniel and Daisy sharing a big laugh while leaning by the bar, her grabbing his arm and putting her head against his shoulder. As the pair grabbed the tray of drinks off the bar and paid the bartender, the rest of the group looked away, so it didn’t look like they were staring.

“Guys look, is that who I think it is?” Fitz exclaimed, a bit louder than anyone was expecting, as Daisy and Daniel set the drinks down in front of everybody. The whole group swirled around to see two familiar faces enter the room and beginning heading to the bar. Everyone, except Daniel, looked at each other in shock. Daniel looked to Daisy, so she could tell him what was going on, but before she had the chance, she opened her mouth and shouted across the bar.

“BOBBI! HUNTER!”

Everyone in the bar turned around to see the source of the commotion, but two people were walking towards them in shock. A tall blonde woman dressed in a deep burgundy jumpsuit approached the table with a slightly shorter man hot on her heels. In the commotion, everyone in the booth stood up to greet the newcomers.

“What are you doing here?”

“We’ve not heard from you guys in a year!”

The blonde spoke up first “we just got in from assignment, I’m so sorry”, she hugged Jemma and Fitz close as Trip embraced her partner.

“Yeah, that’s the life of an undercover international reporter unfortunately, love” Hunter said, surprising Daniel with his thick British accent. “Whoa you’re new.” He said after greeting everybody in turn. Everybody turned to sit back down in the booth as Daniel slid in next to Daisy.

“Oh yeah, Bobbi, Hunter this is Daniel Sousa.” Daisy explained before taking a sip of her martini.

“Wait, like the author Daniel Sousa?” Bobbi asked incredulously.

“Exactly like him” Daisy commented as Daniel tried to internalise the blush rising in his cheeks.

“Mate, Bobbi here loves your books, even I can’t get her attention when she’s reading one of those. Ow!” Hunter exclaimed when Bobbi landed her elbow in his ribs forcefully, in an attempt to stop him from talking. “What did you do that for?” and the two started bickering between themselves. Daisy leaned into Daniel and said quietly in his ear,

“Don’t worry, they are always like this.” Daisy whispered to Daniel as he chuckled and took a sip of his beer. In the meantime, Bobbi and Hunter had stopped arguing when Daniel turned back to them.

“I’ll be sure to send you a copy of the next one in advance then.” He said to Bobbi, with his classic charming smile. “Distract you from him a bit more?”. Bobbi laughed genuinely and nodded her head,

“Oh, please do, anything to stop listening to him for a few hours”

“Nice to see I’m appreciated here, love.” Hunter replied, getting up to head to the bar for him and his partner.

The group then descended into casual conversation and catch up with each other, making sure to involve Daniel as much as possible, all under the guise that they thought he’d be around for a while. There were looks shared between the group as Daniel and Daisy would share private jokes or glances. It was nice and civilised until Hunter started buying shots of something. The night got a bit hazy after that but was still enjoyable. They started reminiscing about previous exploits.

“But do you remember when Daisy chopped all of her hair off?” Elena said, giggling slightly over her drink.

“Nah the purple hair was my favourite,” Bobbi said, Jemma nodding in agreement. Daniel looked to Daisy who looked slightly sheepish, but she shrugged.

“I don’t know what to say guys, I’m pretty happy with the blonde now.” Daisy said, and Daniel couldn’t agree more. Although he didn’t say this out loud. Conversation continued in the group, teasing Fitzsimmons about how clueless they were about their feelings for each other.

“I don’t think you two have any room to talk!” Jemma exclaimed in fake annoyance, gesturing to Mack and Elena. “Don’t forget how long it took Mack to make a move.”

“Or how me and Coulson walked in on them two making out for the first time,” Daisy added.

Mack blushed pulling Elena in closer to him as she laughed freely.

“Are we going to talk about how Bobbi and Hunter were when we all met them or we just ignoring that?” Mack retorted, with a pointed stare at the couple.

“Yeah well to be fair, we hadn’t seen each other in two years after we divorced.”

“Weren’t you referring to me as a demonic hell beast?” Bobbi teased her partner, leaning closer to him. He shook his head.

“Nope. Never, love. Don’t know what you’re talking about.” Hunter said looking in the opposite direction. Everyone laughed. And that’s how the evening continued, laughing and talking about other fun things they’d been through together.

Fitz and Simmons left first, excusing themselves for classes in the morning. Bobbi and Hunter were chatting furiously with Mack and Elena, catching him up on their adventures. Daniel was listening to their conversation along with snippets of Daisy and Trip’s exchange. He had actually really enjoyed getting to meet more people and adored seeing Daisy so happy, surrounded by her own people. At one point, Trip stepped away to take a call and Daniel felt Daisy lean against his shoulder, shutting her eyes slightly in her tipsy state. Slightly inebriated himself, he looped his arm around her waist and whispered down to her,

“You want me to take you home?”

She nodded and looked up at him, giving his hand a quick squeeze as a thanks as she stood up.

“I think we’re going to head off guys, before I can’t actually see” Daisy said to her friends. After a quick round of hugs goodbye and promises to meet up soon, Daisy and Daniel waved their friends goodbye and exited the bar. As they did so Trip was heading back in, hanging up his phone.

“You guys leaving?” he asked, opening his arms to Daisy to hug her tight.

“Yeah, it’s about time I think, can’t drink like I used to” Daisy mumbled to him as she pulled away.

“I don’t think that’s a bad thing, Dais, you could almost drink Hunter under the table at one point” Trip replied, holding out his hand to Daniel, “Nice to meet you man.”

“Yeah you too. You staying in town long?” he asked, as Daisy hailed a taxi for the pair of them.

“Yeah for a month or so I think?” He took a step closer to Daniel and looked him square in the eyes, just out of view of Daisy. “Just take care of her, won’t you? She’s been hurt before.” Daniel focussed on the man properly before addressing him.

“I will. I always will.” He answered honestly, the alcohol in his system releasing some of his hang ups. Trip shook the man’s hand again and nodded.

“Good. See you later guys, let us know you’re home safe Daisy!” he replied as he walked into the bar.

“Bye Trip!” Daisy said singsongingly, giggling slightly and she began to sway side to side, “Oh look Daniel, a cab!”

Daniel helped her into the cab, and she slid across to let him in too. She gave her address to the driver and promptly laid her head down on Daniel’s shoulder, shutting her eyes. She felt him press a kiss to her hair in response and she didn’t think too much about it as the warm feeling grew in her stomach. She was happy.


	8. Just to Meet Her

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> She smiled at the little card, sipping the water gently. Always a gentleman and always an author. Even though she was pretty sure he’d had just as much to drink as she had, he’d still been able to right a coherent and neatly written note. She quickly realised she didn’t really remember what had happened when they’d got back to her apartment. Had she said anything incriminating to him? Surely not.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another day, another chapter!
> 
> A bit of cliffhanger, but it will all be resolved quickly.
> 
> I've also almost finished writing and there is 12 chapters in total!

The next morning, Daisy was woken up by the light streaming through the window of her bedroom. She became acutely aware of the throbbing of her head, although the room wasn’t spinning too much, which was probably a good sign. She had a fuzzy memory of getting back to her apartment and lying down on her bed almost immediately. She was still wearing her dress, although it was a bit crumpled now, and she could feel that her makeup was still clinging to her face as she hadn’t taken it off. She reached across for her phone and found it was plugged into the charger, which was strange as she couldn’t remember doing that. She also realised there was a glass of water on her nightstand with a note leaned against it. She sat up and reached for the note, which was written in cursive and printed neatly

_Thought you might need this, make sure to drink it. I’ll push your door keys under the door, so you’re locked in and safe. Hope you had a good night, -_ _Daniel x_

She smiled at the little card, sipping the water gently. Always a gentleman and always an author. Even though she was pretty sure he’d had just as much to drink as she had, he’d still been able to right a coherent and neatly written note. She quickly realised she didn’t really remember what had happened when they’d got back to her apartment. Had she said anything incriminating to him? Surely not.

She reached for her phone again and saw a few texts from Jemma, Bobbi and Trip.

“ _So, you and Sousa, huh?”_ from Bobbi, which made Daisy roll her eyes at the implications of her friend.

_“You two look good together, girl”_ from Trip, which made the warm feeling come back to her stomach.

“ _Sousa let me know you got home safe; I’ve let the others know. Talk to you in the morning – J xxx”_ from Jemma. She sent a quick reply to her best friend letting her know she was okay, and telling her to enjoy her classes, hopefully without the hangover she was currently suffering from.

With a quick glance at the time, Daisy decided she needed her Chai Tea Latte fix to get over this, so she dragged herself out of bed, changed into some leggings and an oversized burgundy hoodie. On entering the bathroom, she took off her makeup with some cleanser and brushed her teeth, gagging slightly at the smell of alcohol on her own breath. She hurriedly shoved her hair up in a ponytail and pulled on the nearest pair of sneakers. The sight of her keys half way across her doormat brought a smile to her face, as she thought of how much effort Daniel had gone to to keep her safe, even when drunk. She decided to walk to the Lighthouse rather than driving, sliding her phone into her hoodie pocket and turning left to head down the street. The fresh air should help her anyway. The streets were bustling with the usual Saturday morning traffic, grandma’s out shopping and kids on the way to football practice or dance class.

Upon entering the Lighthouse, she met May’s gaze, which looked ever so slightly disapproving at her slightly dishevelled state.

“Didn’t think I’d see you this morning,” a familiar voice said from the back of the shop. She narrowed her eyes slightly and saw none other than Daniel Sousa sat with his normal t-shirt and jeans on, but with his curls a little bit messier than usual and some dark circles under his eyes. She managed a small smile during her throbbing headache, as May passed her a chai tea latte and some paracetamol. The women gave her a knowing look and Daisy could not have been more grateful for the women at that moment.

“You are the best May” Daisy said quietly to her mother figure, who nodded and headed to the kitchen to find Coulson.

Daisy took a seat on the opposite couch to Daniel and took a long sip of her latte, humming to herself as it hit her stomach.

“Thank you for looking after me last night, I appreciate it” she said, making eye contact with the man across from her.

“No worries. You’re funny drunk.” He admitted with a smirk “Talking about all sorts…”

Daisy groaned out loud, “Oh shit, what did I say?”

“Just how much you liked having me around. Kept calling me a square which was fun, you did say I was handsome square though” Daniel said the grin on his face growing as he saw her cringe at her own actions.

“Yeah I’m sorry about that. I talk a lot when I’ve had a few drinks. All verbal filters kind of stop working.” She pulled her hood up around her head to hide the blush on her cheeks.

“Nah, don’t worry. I found it endearing. It was cute.” He said, staring at his coffee cup.

“Cute?” Daisy said, narrowing her eyes at him, reminding Daniel of a glare he’d seen May give out. “Cute? What am I a puppy?” She hurled a throw pillow at him, which he dodged and laughed, picking it up and tossing it back in her direction, carefully not to hit the coffee in her hands. They both laughed at each other, until someone cleared their throat next to them. Coulson was stood at the end of the sofas, looking between the two of them.

“I’d rather you didn’t throw May’s pillows round the shop. I wouldn’t want to be on the receiving end of that glare, personally” the older man said, stooping to place the fallen pillow back on the sofa. “How you feeling Dais? Need some food?” He looked at his surrogate daughter with a look of care and compassion that only fathers could give.

“Well, if you’re offering AC, I wouldn’t mind some of that secret recipe French Toast?” she asked with a cheeky smile.

“Anything for my girl,” he said, pressing a kiss to the top of her head. “Daniel, French toast?”

“I’d normally say no but, that sounds incredible.” Daniel confessed, clearly still feeling the effects of his hangover. Phil nodded and walked toward the kitchen to get started on the food

“I think Hunter was trying to kill us off last night, he did seem to be pushing us especially hard to drink whatever was in those shots.” Daniel said in a hush tone. Daisy knew why Hunter had been doing that, he was hinting at the same things Bobbi and Trip had text her about that morning. She didn’t want to bring that up with Daniel just yet though.

“Probably just hazing for the new guy, and me because I brought you.”

They fell into a comfortable silence. Daisy sipped her drink, mainly with her eyes closed to try and still the throbbing of her head. Opening her eyes eventually, she saw Daniel staring at her. He didn’t even look away like he normally would when she caught him looking at her.

“What you looking at, Sousa?”

“Erm... you?” he replied somewhat nervously, but not looking away. Daisy rolled her eyes, and Daniel forced himself to be confident “What I’m not allowed to look at a beautiful woman?”

Daisy was shocked by how forthright he was being. Sure, they exchanged flirty banter and brief touches, which eluded to the potential for a deeper connection between them, but it was normally buried under teasing or jokes. It was never this direct. And it wasn’t that she didn’t appreciate him to, his classically handsome face, or the way his t-shirts pulled tight around his biceps. Which Jemma never teased her for looking at when he was unaware. Never. Daisy tried to reflect his confidence.

“Well I suppose drunk me did admit that you’re handsome.” She said, watching his face flicker to an easy smile. “Even if you are a square.” They both laughed a little, before being interrupted by Phil arriving with two plates of French toast. Daisy quickly sat up and took the plate from him, instantly diving in with her fork, letting her hood fall back down, so it was no longer covering her hair, which was sat on the top of her head. Daniel watched as she enjoyed her food, a warm feeling of affection growing in his chest. She was like no one he had met, strong and independent, yet warm and welcoming, making him feel at complete ease around her. He decided right there and then that moving to the opposite coast was worth it, even if it was just to meet her.

* * *

The next few weeks carried on in their usual pattern and routine. Breakfast at the coffee house, working till early afternoon sat opposite from each other in the window of their favourite coffee shop. Daniel had really started to get through his book but wouldn’t tell Daisy much about it. She’d pried some basic information from him though; it was different from his other books, and he was really excited to be writing it. Not that that was enough for Daisy, who had become endlessly curious about what he spent hours typing about while sat across from her.

She did her best to ignore her curiosity, and she had her own work to concentrate on. An old client had recommended her to a corporation, who had subsequently hired her to do a complete overhaul of their security systems, which contained some severely confidential information, that she had heard whispers on the internet of it being something to do with national security. The only thing that confirmed these rumours was the thick contract and non-disclosure forms she had been given to sign, before the assignment began, and the handsome sum of money she was to receive once the project was complete. It would pay her bills and lifestyle costs for the next year, but it was difficult work, even for someone with her experience.

As the weeks wore on, Daisy’s stress levels began to rise as her deadline got closer and closer. Daniel noticed this very early on and became more and more concerned about her. Dark circles started appearing under her eyes, and she began to look slightly paler and thinner than he was used to. He tried to approach the subject with her, but she shrugged him off and carried on furiously coding on her laptop. Instead of leaving her like this, he changed tactics. He began to make sure she ate when they were together and would bring takeout to her apartment a few times a week to make sure she was okay. It seemed to be a good sign that she still turned up at the coffee shop every day, but she was more distant, not saying much to him or anyone at all really. Jemma and Coulson had both tried to talk to her about it, but Daisy carried on working with her head buried in her laptop. May tried to force her to join her on the beach each morning to do Tai Chi with her but decided after a couple of attempts that it wasn’t working. Daisy remained distracted in her sessions, rushing through the movements and leaving early to work.

One morning, Daisy never turned up at the coffee shop. Daniel had sat in their usual spot for a couple of hours, periodically watching the door for her, waiting for her to sit down in the arm chair across from him. As 11 o’clock came around, he sent her a text, just to make sure she was okay. No response. He was starting to worry, when Jemma entered the Lighthouse and immediately turned to him.

“Have you seen Daisy this morning?” she asked in a worried tone, that mirrored Daniel’s own feeling.

“No, I’ve not seen her since yesterday morning. She’s not answering my messages either.” He replied, double checking his phone again.

“Yeah, I tried that too, I’m getting a bit worried now. She normally answers my calls.” Jemma shifted her weight from one foot to the other. “I’d normally go and check on her myself but, I’ve got a presentation to make at the school.”

Daniel practically jumped to his feet, packing his belongings away. “I’ll go. I can’t concentrate on this anyway until I know she’s okay.” Daniel saw a mischievous smirk flash across Jemma’s face, before she reached into her handbag and pulled out a keychain, handing him one of the keys. He looked at her confused.

“It’s the key to her apartment from when I used to live with her, before I moved in with Fitz.” Jemma explained as he took it from her, “I think she’s probably crashed after overexerting herself, so she may not answer the door. You’ll probably need it to get in.” Daniel looked at her apprehensively, but stuck the key in his back pocket anyway, nodding as he slung his bag over his shoulder. He ordered a chai tea latte from Coulson, who was stood watching the exchange from behind the counter. Refusing his payment, Coulson handed it to Daniel, a silent message exchanged between the two men. With a nod

“I’ll let you know she’s okay. Talk to you later. Good luck with the presentation Jemma.” He said as he exited the store and headed in the direction of Daisy’s apartment.


	9. A Missed Moment

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Daniel listened and never interrupted, watching her intently as she explained part of her past. He put a hand on the shoulder when she wiped away the tears over her lost love. When she went silent at the end, he didn’t say anything but let her breathe in and out with the waves, watching as the sun dipped below the horizon, leaving the sky in brilliant colours of yellow and gold.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A shorter chapter as the last three are long.
> 
> I've got a few One Shot ideas set after this one that I'll probably put in a separate story, linked to this little universe.
> 
> Next chapter, someone new is introduced.

Stood outside her door, he knocked gently on the door, wanting to give Daisy her privacy, not wanting to intrude on her unexpectedly if he could help it. He waited for a few minutes and listened for any movement within the apartment. Upon there only being silence, he fished the key and slotted it into the lock, taking a breath as he turned it and pushed the door open slowly.

“Daisy?” he said, not too loudly, as to avoid startling her if she was asleep. He popped his head round the door and scanned the living room. His eyes stopped when they reached the view of Daisy, leant up against the couch, head rolled back on to the seat, wrapped in a blanket with her laptop open on the coffee table in front of her. Her hair was all over the place, fallen from the messy bun she had been sporting for the past few weeks. Daniel approached quietly, watching her breathe steadily and stooping to pick up a few throw pillows that lay on the floor around the small woman. He put down the coffee cup he was carrying on the table and reached to close the laptop, pushing it further into the centre of the table, to stop it being damaged. He noticed the dirty plates and old bowl of cereal, precariously stacked on the other side of her.

Carefully, he squatted down next to her, as much as his leg would allow him, and gently shook her shoulder, calling her name. She groaned slightly as she lifted her head from the couch, groggy as she was roused from her deep sleep. She blinked a few times, letting her eyes focus on the face that was next to her.

“Daniel?” she asked quietly, before she realised what was going on and jumped, slightly startled. “What are you doing here?” she asked, full of surprise, noticing how he was sat with one leg stretched out, so close to her that she could reach out and touch his face. She suddenly snapped too, as he went to brush a strand of hair out of her face and behind her ear. He removed his hand quickly and shuffled backwards, as she startled, looking around her apartment. She flushed red with embarrassment. It was a mess, there was dirty plates stacked around her and clothes across the back of the sofa. Groaning as she shifted, an ache radiated from her neck and back from sitting in one position for too long. May would be angry at her later when she found out.

Daniel chuckled nervously and handed her a cup of coffee from the Lighthouse.

“I didn’t mean to overstep, it’s just that me and Jemma were worried about you when you didn’t show up and you weren’t answering your phone. Phil was worried too. Jemma had a presentation and couldn’t come and see you and asked me to come, she gave me the key. I just wanted to make sure you were okay- ” he rambled, quickly backtracking not wanting to make her uncomfortable.

“Daniel!” she stopped him, “Thank you, I appreciate it, but you don’t need to worry about me.”

“Someone has to. You don’t.” he mumbled, loudly enough for her to hear.

“Ok, that was uncalled for.” She said with a slight hint of annoyance. Daniel perched down on the arm of the sofa.

“It’s not really. You look like you haven’t slept in a week.” He told her honestly. “You need to take care of yourself first Daisy, or the work won’t get done.”

She looked up at him, met his brown eyes with hers. He cared. He cared so much about her, which warmed her heart. The look of care and consideration overwhelmed her slightly. She looked down at her coffee before taking a sip, taking in the sweet heaven of the warm beverage. She looked back at him and leant into his side slightly. He tensed slightly, before relaxing and bringing an arm around her shoulders.

“You’re not wrong. Thank you for this.” She said, taking another sip.

“You’re welcome. You run into walls head on. It’s who you are. You need someone to pick you back up. I don’t mind being that person.” He said with a coy smile.

“How are you so nice? I’m glad you came into the Lighthouse a couple of months ago.”

“Yeah I’m glad too.” He said, almost a whisper. Daisy suddenly became aware of how close they were. She turned slightly to look up at him and found as usual that he was looking back at her. His gaze flickered briefly to her lips, and for a moment they moved closer to one another.

It was at this moment Daisy’s phone buzzed on the table, pulling their attention away from each other, and looking at the offending device. Daisy looked at the phone and saw it was May calling, she sighed, shot an apologetic look at Daniel and moved away from him to answer the phone.

“Hi May,” she said into the device, a slight hint of annoyance at being interrupted.

Daniel moved away and walked towards the kitchen, grabbing the dirty plates on his way and placing them in the sink. Daisy could be heard apologising on the phone as she began to pace around the small living room. He smiled to himself as he caught her eye and she rolled her eyes in mock annoyance at May.

He began to think about the moment they were about to have before they were interrupted. Her warm body against his side, the starry look she gave him as they locked eyes, the shape of her lips as she leaned up towards him. A missed moment. He shook the idea out of his head, not that it was unpleasant idea. Maybe she was beginning to feel the same way about him, that he felt about her. He’d began to admit it to himself that he had feelings for her. The way she smiled at him made his heart skip a beat and spending time with her was the highlight of everyday. Maybe one day he’d pluck up the courage to tell her. Hopefully soon. Hopefully she’d feel the same way.

He swung open the door to her fridge, and although it was mostly spotted some eggs and milk. He set them on the counter and closed the door, jumping when he realised Daisy was behind it.

“You okay there Danny boy?” she said with a smirk.

“Yeah, thought you were still getting told off by May,” he winked at her, “I’m gonna make some breakfast, or lunch given the time.”

“Too nice.” Daisy shook her head, smiling widely. “I’m going to go shower and change, I can’t remember how long I’ve been wearing this hoodie. You going to be okay in here?”

“I do know my way around a kitchen, you know.” He smirked back “Go get ready or whatever, you need some fresh air as well.”

* * *

After a light meal of eggs and toast, Daniel and Daisy left the apartment. The November weather had started to set in, and Daisy wrapped herself in a big woollen jumper and leggings. They walked side by side down to the seafront, occasionally bumping shoulders. They talked quietly between them, Daisy trying to pry information about Daniel’s new book out of him, Daniel remaining as tight lipped as ever. They joked and skimmed rocks into the ocean, Daisy teasing Daniel when hers made more bounces than his. He watched as Daisy began to relax, starting to forget the stress of the looming deadline she had. She laughed and paddled in the sea, throwing her shoes further up the beach and rolling her leggings up. She splashed him from where he stood on the shore, giggling like she was a young girl.

A little while later, they were sat next to each other on the sand, watching the waves crash against the shore. Not much was being said between the pair, when Daisy turned to him.

“I do appreciate you, you know. You’re a good guy Daniel Sousa. It’s a nice change.”

“Yeah well you’re not so bad yourself, Miss Johnson.” He said looking out at the horizon. “I don’t know how many people have wronged you in life, but I would never hurt you.”

“I’ve lost so many people at this point, I don’t open up to strangers any more. I’m glad you’ve become the exception.” She admitted softly. Daniel looked to her and saw the sad glint in her eyes again.

“Do you want to talk about it?” he asked hesitantly, wanting to know but not push. “Trip mentioned you had been hurt before. So, if you do want to talk about it, I’ll listen.”

Daisy took a deep breath. She’d never actually explained Grant or Miles or Lincoln to anyone before, her family had experienced it alongside her. But something about Daniel made her trust him, the way he trusted her. So, she did, she explained how Miles betrayed her when she was trying to get on her feet and the crazy behaviour of Grant Ward that left her broken and emotionally drained. Tears filled her eyes as she spoke of Lincoln, the love she had lost and how she thought the hole in her heart would never fix. Daniel listened and never interrupted, watching her intently as she explained part of her past. He put a hand on the shoulder when she wiped away the tears over her lost love. When she went silent at the end, he didn’t say anything but let her breathe in and out with the waves, watching as the sun dipped below the horizon, leaving the sky in brilliant colours of yellow and gold.

They sat in content silence, until Daisy leant sleepily on Daniel’s shoulder.

“Thanks for listening, I’m sorry it’s kind of a lot.” She spoke into the quiet. Daniel put one hand under her chin so she was facing him, so she could see how genuine he was being.

“That’s what I’m here for.” He said quietly, covering her hand with his.

“One day you’ll have to tell me about your ex’s.” she smiled softly.

“One day, I will. Maybe not today though, right now I’m happy to just watch the sunset with you.”


	10. Extraordinary

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so a longer chapter this one!
> 
> Hope you enjoy.

Daisy met her deadline easily, without stressing too much. Daniel provided the calm in her life that she didn’t know existed before she met him. With all his regular check ins, she made sure she was fed and hydrated, taking breaks to help Coulson with his new computer or Fitz with some coding he needed for his research project. Once the company she was working for signed off on her work, she breathed a huge sigh of relief. She planned to take a bit of a break from the computer side of her business and spent her days helping at the Lighthouse or showing Daniel some of the sights of San Francisco.

Sat in their usual spots, Daisy was scrolling through her Instagram feed catching up on some of Bobbi and Hunter’s latest antics, when she heard Daniel let out an agonised sigh from across the table. He put his phone down, with a look of almost anger on his face.

“Are you okay, Daniel?” she asked, with one eyebrow quirked up at his uncharacteristic display of annoyance. He looked up at her and the look of anger subsided slightly. It felt to Daisy as if she’d known the man in front of her for her entire life. She’d been able to pick on mood changes and knew when he was writing a particularly interesting part of his book by the way his brow furrowed.

“Erm... yeah. My publisher wants to come and visit me.”

“And that’s bad because…”

“You know when we were talking about ex’s on the beach.” Daisy nodded, remembering spilling her guts out to Daniel as the sun set. “Well, she’s kind of my main one.”

“Ohhhh, yeah that makes sense. Why you’re annoyed, I mean.”

“She says it’s to see how the book is coming along but I know that’s a ruse. It’s to ‘check-up’ on me. Make sure I’m doing okay.” Daniel slumped back in his chair, and Daisy could sense the cogs in his head turning as he began to think about it more and more.

“You want to tell me what happened there? It seems to affect you a lot, I’ve not seen you like this before.” She said, pushing half a muffin across the table to him. He sat up and grabbed the muffin, took a bite and sighed.

“We put it off for ages, there was all this tension between us. I’d admired her for ages, so strong and independent, not scared of what other people thought of her. I thought she hated me at one point, she pushed me and everyone else away. I was even engaged to another woman at one point.” Daisy raised her eyebrows at that, not exactly what she was expecting. Noticing her surprise, he quickly continued. “This was over a few years. Anyway, Violet broke up with me after she met Peggy. Realised there was more between us than either of us had ever realised. And then after my book published, she kissed me. We started dating, and it was great. Until it wasn’t, and I thought I wasn’t good enough for her. For anybody really. We started arguing all the time and then Steve came back. Her ex. And I couldn’t compete with him.” Daniel realised he’d been ranting for some time and went to apologise but Daisy stopped him.

“I know you’re about to say you’re sorry for telling me all that. But I’m not. You let me talk about my failed love life for hours the other night.” Daisy looked straight at him, forcing him into an eye contact with her gorgeous brown eyes. “You are enough Daniel Sousa, any woman would be lucky to have you. I can’t imagine this Steve could compete with you.” Daniel shifted awkwardly in his seat, unused to the compliments he had just received. “I assume you’re still friendly with this Peggy?”

“Yeah, we kind of have to be, she’s still my publisher and she’s not a bad person. It was my insecurity that lead to the breakdown between us.” He said, fumbling with his hands as he spoke.

“Well, if she didn’t hang on to you despite that, it was her loss.” Daisy said, finding herself quite defensive of Daniel. He smiled as he heard the hint of anger rise in her voice.

“You getting protective of me Johnson?” he teased, trying to draw the subject away from his failings as a boyfriend.

“I’m trying to let you see what I see. I think you’re brilliant.” She reached across and grabbed his hand in hers, squeezing it to get his full attention on what she was saying, trying to reassure him. He gave her a hand a small squeeze back,

“You’re pretty great too you know?” he said, a genuine smile spreading across his face

“Oh, I know,” she said with a wicked grin as she stood up, releasing her hand from his. “More coffee?”

He nodded and handed her his cup when she put her hand out. He watched her walk away. She really was extraordinary.

* * *

The sun broke through the window that morning, just like it did every morning. But Daniel Sousa was already awake. He sat on the edge of his bed, gazing out the window, but not taking in the view. The night had been filled with uneasy sleep and restlessness had finally got the better of him. Seeing Peggy was making him nervous, which he couldn’t quite understand, no matter how much he tried to reason with himself. There was a lot left unsaid when he left New York, but they had not been on bad terms. He knew in his heart he’d always have a soft spot for Peggy, but that wasn’t the problem.

This new life he’d begun to create made him feel like a new man, a world away from the life he had been previously living in New York. The friends he had made, and his apartment made this town feel like home. Debating and discussing history with Coulson, or proof reading an essay of Jemma’s when she was stressed about finals. And then was Daisy. The woman who he had felt this connection with since he met her. The gorgeous brunette bombshell, that stumbled through the door of the Lighthouse that first day he had wandered in two months ago. Their hushed conversations when they hung out with all her friends, or the gentle touches of her hand on his arm that sent sparks between them. The gentle smiles over coffee and raucous laughter that came from her when he made a stupid joke. The warm feeling that spread through him when she was close, leaning against his shoulder. It was a feeling he’d never felt before. It was a world away from the hot, searing tension that had been between him and Peggy. He missed Daisy when she wasn’t around and longed to be in her presence when he wasn’t. The affection he felt for her was strong, not that she needed to be protected but rather supported.

The plan was to have lunch with Peggy, drop her back of at her hotel and swing by the Lighthouse to debrief Daisy. That was her own request, saying she would be there to listen to whatever he wanted to say. Standing up, Daniel sighed, resigning himself to the fact that this day was going to be uncomfortable for him. He did what his father always told him as a boy, ‘ _stand up and get on with it.’_ So that’s what he did.

* * *

Sat on Daniel’s usual chair, Daisy was trying to not watch the door. She had started off by sitting in her usual spot but found that the author’s regular position gave her a better view of the door. She was meant to be doing some research to help with the coding on one of Fitz’s new projects but her mind kept drifting. Something about Daniel having lunch with a woman he had previously been involved with made her stomach churn. She had no reason to be jealous of Peggy Carter. Her and Daniel weren’t together, and he could do whatever he wanted with whoever he wanted, but the fact he had been so worried about his publisher visiting didn’t sit right with her. The words she would usually use to describe Daniel would be calm, collected and methodical, but when he talked of Peggy and his upcoming meeting with her, his shoulders became tense and his face was worried. Daniel Sousa did not need Daisy to fight his battles for him, although Daisy could feel her protective streak shining through for him. She took a sip of her iced tea and tried to focus on her research.

The sun was still high in the sky, when Daisy looked up to see Daniel walking down the street towards the Lighthouse. She smiled at the familiar sight of the handsome man, who was wearing his classic button up shirt and smile. Daisy’s heart dropped slightly when before realising he was walking beside a woman, chatting easily with her. _‘That must be Peggy’_ she thought to herself. Turning her attention back to Daniel, she noticed he didn’t seem as tense as he previously had when talking about Peggy to her. Her stomach twisted slightly but she pushed it down into herself and swallowed. There was no reason to be jealous she repeated to herself in her head. No reason at all. As they drew closer, Daisy fixed her hair and smoothed her dress, noticing how well put together Peggy was, beginning to feel a little insecure herself. Dressed in a professional outfit of white blouse and blue trousers, with a blazer that implied she meant business, Peggy Carter oozed confidence, even from a distance. Jemma coughed to get Daisy’s attention and raised her eyebrows as she watched the pair cross the street, approaching the front door of the coffee shop. Daisy rolled her eyes in the direction of her friend, before pulling out her phone to make them think she hadn’t been watching and waiting for Daniel to arrive.

As they entered the shop, Daniel held the door open for Peggy. _‘Ever the gentleman,’_ Daisy thought, looking up and catching his eye immediately. He grinned when he saw her, which settled the nerves Daisy was feeling slightly. Her gaze flickered to Peggy who was moving her sunglasses to perch on top of her head as she surveyed the shop. Daniel waited for Peggy to turn back towards him and gestured slightly towards Daisy, but not saying anything to introduce the women. Was he nervous, is that what Daisy was picking up from Daniel right now?

“Oh, I see Daniel. Cat got your tongue?” Peggy said, teasing her client and friend. “Peggy Carter, you must be Daisy?” Daisy shook the woman’s hand, briefly looking to Daniel who ran his hand through his curls. ‘ _Definitely nervous,’_ Daisy thought.

“Hi, that’s me. Nice to meet you.” She said with as much confidence as she could muster. “Have you been talking about me, Sousa?” Daniel went red as he took a step closer, blushing at the implication.

“He most definitely has. It’s been difficult to get him to talk about much more than you and this shop.” Peggy responded, a genuine smirk crossing her face as she noticed his blushed complexion. “I’m going to get a cup of tea, Daniel?”

“Actually, Jemma knows my regular order” he said, waving at the young scientist, who was stood at the counter waiting to take an order. Peggy turned on her heel and left Daniel with Daisy.

“I swear I wasn’t talking about you that much.” He spluttered, as he dragged a chair over from an empty table, placing it in between the two chairs they normally occupied. Daisy chuckled slightly,

“All good things I hope?”

“Of course!” Daniel looked to Daisy, noticing her expression had changed to slightly worried and quizzical. “I’m okay, Daisy. It’s been nice to catch up with her actually. Not as awkward as I thought it would be.”

“Good, I’m glad.” Daisy said, putting a hand on his arm, which he covered with his own. There was a moment, before Peggy sat down, sliding a black coffee across the table to Daniel. The pair moved away from each other slightly.

“Well Jemma is lovely. I rarely get to speak to anyone from my side of the pond these days. Other than Jarvis,” Peggy said, setting her own cup of tea down on the table.

“Yeah, she’s great. I think she misses England though sometimes.” Daisy replied, falling into easy conversation with the woman sat across from her. They chatted easily for a while, before Daniel excused himself to use the bathroom, leaving the two alone.

“He cares for you.” Peggy said honestly, “He deserves to be happy. I think you make him happy.”

“We’re not together-“ Daisy stammered out, before Peggy interrupted her.

“I know that. I also know Daniel, he’s too much of a gentleman to believe that anyone would be interested in him, ever, so he won’t make a move unless he’s certain.” The British women explained. “From what I can see, you do have feelings for him like that?”

Daisy’s gaze shifted from the direction of the bathroom to the floor, unwilling to confirm her feelings to herself, let alone Daniel’s ex. She briefly looked up at the woman, who nodded in understanding.

“Well, when you figure it out, let him know. He’ll just torture himself otherwise. He shouldn’t do it, but he does.” Daisy was left with no words as Peggy spelled it out for her in no uncertain terms. It had never occurred to her that Peggy herself maybe protective of her friend. Daisy nodded in silent agreement, as Daniel joined them again.

“Everything okay ladies?” he asked upon seeing the slightly pensive face Daisy had on. She switched to a faltering smile as she looked up at him.

“Yeah, everything’s fine Daniel.” Daisy reassured him, although he still wasn’t sure.

“Actually Daniel, Mr Jarvis has come to get me. I told Howard I’d stop by, while I’m here.” Peggy said.

“Howard Stark?” Daisy exclaimed in surprise, clamping her hands to her mouth at her outburst.

“The one and the same. He owns an estate just down the coast from here. You didn’t tell her Daniel?” Peggy said looking to the man incredulously.

“Wait, you know HOWARD STARK? How have you not told me that?” Daisy exclaimed turning towards him, hitting Daniel lightly on the shoulder. He feigned pain at the attack but began to laugh.

“I didn’t think about it!” He explained, “He’s kind of a dick, to be honest.” Daisy was staring him out with the classic May stare, but she was also smiling slightly which undermined the whole look. “I thought his son Tony would be more your speed anyway. He’s more computer based, right?” Daisy’s eyebrows raised even more.

“You know Tony Stark too? Child Genius Tony Stark” she said, hitting him again. Peggy and Daniel shared a look and began to laugh.

“Well, Peggy is his godmother.” Daisy stared between the two in disbelief.

“Maybe next time I’m over this way, I’ll introduce you. Daniel does have a standing invitation at Howard’s,” she said looking pointedly at him. He looked away immediately, looking absolutely anywhere but at Peggy. A horn beeped outside, and they turned to see a classic black sedan sat outside, a tall thin man stood by the bonnet.

“Yes, okay, Mr Jarvis.” Peggy mouthed through the window, standing up from her seat. “Anyway Daisy, lovely to meet you.” They shook hands again, a silent look between the two referring to what they had spoken about when they were alone. Peggy turned and approached Daniel, meeting him in a brief embrace that he returned and pressing a delicate kiss to his cheek. “Keep me updated on the book, Daniel. I don’t want to be chasing you for that first draft next month.”

“Of course, Peg. I’ll talk to you soon”, leading her to the door and opening it, waving at Edwin Jarvis as he did so. Upon returning to Daisy’s side, the pair stood and waved to the brits who were chatting as they drove away.

“So, it wasn’t as bad as you thought it was going to be?” Daisy questioned as the car pulled away from the kerb.

“No, she wasn’t as prying as I thought she would be. We talked a lot about the book, set out some deadlines and stuff,” he raised his hand to scratch the back of his neck, Daisy noticing the flexing of his arm under the sleeve of his shirt as he did. “And she insisted on coming to meet you.” He muttered quietly but she still heard him.

“You must have been talking about me a lot then, Danny boy.” Daisy teased, packing up her laptop into her bag.

“What were the two of you talking about when I was coming back from the restroom anyway?” he questioned, skirting her implication.

“Oh, not much.” She said, a mischievous grin making her way across her face. “She was telling me about your book.”

Daniel looked at her slightly panicked “What!? What did she say?” Daisy giggled a little.

“I was joking Daniel, but I don’t know why you’re being so secretive about it.” She reassured him, tucking her hair behind her ears, as she put her light blue denim jacket on over her navy tea dress.

“I just want to make sure it’s right first.” He tried to explain. Daisy put a hand on his arm, looking up at him calmingly.

“You’ll show me when it’s ready and that’s okay by me.” She said, “Do you need a lift home?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I adore Peggy, and Daniel, and Daisy. I tried to do them all justice.
> 
> As for the ages of Tony Stark who are briefly mentioned etc., I've taken real artistic license and in this universe Howard had Tony young, and turned his life around and he's a good father. Tony is around 15 and Daisy is about 30. Daniel, Peggy and Howard are a few years older than Daisy but not many. I'm leaning towards Daniel being around 36? I hope this makes sense.
> 
> Hope you enjoy!


	11. Thankful for You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Thanksgiving was always a big deal in the Sousa household. In fact, all the holidays were. As a child, Daniel would spend the day surrounded by family, all of them pitching in in their own way to create a fabulous meal. They were by no means well off, but his parents put aside money each year, to splurge slightly on the Holidays. It brought him glee to see his extended family gathered in their relatively small dining room, before the night was spent watching films with his siblings and cousins, all packed into one room.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay so this is a long chapter, like twice as long as the others. But it is the penultimate one so...
> 
> I know very little about Thanksgiving as I'm not American, so I've done my best!
> 
> Also I loved Mack and Sousa's talk in 7x11, so I had to include it somehow, although I added a few more people!
> 
> Hope you enjoy!

Thanksgiving was always a big deal in the Sousa household. In fact, all the holidays were. As a child, Daniel would spend the day surrounded by family, all of them pitching in in their own way to create a fabulous meal. They were by no means well off, but his parents put aside money each year, to splurge slightly on the Holidays. It brought him glee to see his extended family gathered in their relatively small dining room, before the night was spent watching films with his siblings and cousins, all packed into one room.

When his mother had died 10 years ago, Daniel looked out for his family while his father grieved, withdrawn to his own room for the majority of the days. That first Thanksgiving looked like it was going to be rough, his father was lost without his wife and his younger sisters looked to him for direction. In the throes of his own grief, Daniel stood up and carried out the holidays as well as he could, decorating with the collection of handmade decorations they had made over the years. Along with his sisters, they cobbled together a decent turkey dinner. When he called on his father to come through for dinner, the older man was surprised to see the family tradition was continuing. Daniel watched as his father teared up and pulled him into a hug. Whispered words of thanks and grace passed between the two men, before they sat down for dinner as a family. That was the first time Daniel heard his father laugh since his mother had passed on, and he had missed the sound. So, with that, he promised that he’d do the same every year, if only to put a smile on his father’s face and he had. Over the past few years, there had been additions to his family, in the form of a brother-in-law, nieces and a nephew, all who became involved in the tradition. The glee that Daniel felt as a child at Thanksgiving was still present and was reflected in the young faces gathered around the table as he carved the turkey, an honour that had been passed to him from his father that first year.

This year was no different and Daniel planned on flying out to New York a few days before the holiday to prepare with his father at their family home, before his sisters joined them with their families for the big day. However, a spanner was thrown in his plans when his sister rang him. She had been invited to go to her in-law’s for Thanksgiving, as had their youngest sister and given that they had refused every other year in honour of their own tradition, they were obligated to go. Daniel’s heart sank at the idea of his father being alone in New York for the long weekend. Of course, he could still fly over there and spend it with just his father, although without the rest of the family the prospect wasn’t bright.

Upon discussing the situation with Daisy one afternoon in the Lighthouse, she had a suggestion.

“Why doesn’t he just come here? You’ve got room at your flat and I’m sure he’d love to see where his only son is now. Then you avoid the whole empty nest situation, as it’s your nest not his.” She said, taking a sip of her pumpkin spice latte, the very idea of which made Daniel’s nose crinkle in disgust. Daniel thought for a moment, and agreed, this solution solved a lot of the problems he was facing. He could show his old man around some of the tourist traps while he was here, and they could still spend the holiday together.

“Yeah, that’s not a bad idea, you know, that could work…” Daniel muttered, trying to work out the logistics in his head.

“Well I’ve been known to have them from time to time you know” she said, staring at him pointedly, although he seemed to be miles away, wrapped up in his own thoughts. She left him to it and turned back to her laptop, searching for Christmas gifts for Fitz and Simmons early.

“What are you doing for Thanksgiving?” Daniel asked a few minutes later, into the silence.

“We normally have a barbeque on the beach, Coulson grills and we sit round a fire making smores.” Daisy said, a wide smile crossing her face. As a child she had no traditions like this. Holidays at St Agnes’ orphanage had been bleak and depressing. That changed when Coulson found her in the alley. Between him and May, they had brought her in on their own traditions. It was normally a big family affair, Fitzsimmons joining them not quite understanding the American holiday but being grateful for the substitute family they had gained when they were so far from home. Mack and Elena normally joined them as well, with Trip, Bobbi and Hunter taking part whenever they were home. Sat around a fire with her family, warming up by the fire, laughing and joking as they watched the sunset and talked about what they had been thankful for that year. It made Daisy’s heart feel full and happy. A feeling her younger self never let herself want, thinking she’d never be worthy of that. Daisy was pulled out of her thoughts by the look on Daniel’s face, quizzical and confused.

“Is it not freezing cold on the beach at night, at this time of year?” he questioned, which made Daisy giggle.

“Such a New Yorker. It is cold but not freezing, wrapping up warm and sitting round the fire helps.” She said shrugging her shoulders slightly. “You could come if you want? Bring your Dad?”

Daniel pondered her question, first checking she was serious before thinking about it logistically. His father wasn’t young, but Daniel would never say that to him. He was an active man, who cared for other older residents in the building, hauling groceries in for them all in bad weather and was the first person to get up and chase his grandchildren round in the park.

“Would Coulson and May not mind? I wouldn’t want to invade on your family celebrations, we could just have a quiet dinner at my place.”

“Daniel, the people on the guest list is so wide that you and your father joining us would not be a problem. It’s me, my surrogate parents who found me living in a van, my genius British siblings, a mechanic and athlete who we met through the college, a military man who used to come into the coffee shop before he was first deployed and a bickering divorced couple who are now dating and travelling the world. We’re an odd bunch, but we’re the type of family that is open to everyone. I’ll ask Coulson and May, but they won’t mind, they’ll be happy to have you.”

“If you’re sure,” he said, emphasising the second half of his sentence, “AND May and Coulson are okay with it? I’m sure my father would be happy to come with me.” Daisy nodded, put one finger up and threw back her head, looking in the direction of the kitchen of the Lighthouse.

“MAY! COULSON! Can Daniel bring his father to Thanksgiving on the beach?” she bellowed, and Daniel was immediately thankful that there were no other customers in the shop this close to closing time.

It didn’t take long for a response to be shouted back in their direction, Coulson’s voice traveling right out of his small office off the kitchen.

“Sure, the more the merrier!”

Daniel chuckled, “I have got to convince my Dad to come out here first, but he’s got sense of adventure to rival yours, so it shouldn’t take much.”

* * *

The airport had been busy when Daniel picked his father up from the airport on that Wednesday afternoon. He had spent 20 minutes trying to find a parking space for his new car. Although Daniel tended to walk everywhere he could, buying a car was necessary for life on this coast. In New York, everyone walked or used public transport to get around. Things were further apart in California, there was space, space to breathe. And as much as Daniel enjoyed that, it wasn’t always practical to walk, so he had made the purchase of a new car a week previous, ensuring he had a way to pick up his father from the airport.

Standing at the arrivals gate, Daniel scanned the crowd walking towards him until he saw his father pulling his suitcase behind him. Upon reaching his son, he set down his bags and embraced him.

“The sun has done you good, son. You look well.” His father said looking him up and down, placing a hand on his shoulder.

“You don’t look too bad yourself, old man. Let’s get out of here, yeah?” Daniel said, picking up his father’s bag.

* * *

The drive was uneventful, the men chatting about little things, Daniel listening to the latest adventures of his nephew who had just started school and his nieces who were raising hell in gymnastic classes. Daniel chuckled at the stories and told his father about Peggy visiting and how the new book was coming along. They had burgers and milkshakes at the diner that Daniel had had dinner in his first night in the city (and numerous times since).

Over dinner Daniel brought up the plans for the following night. He explained how he met Daisy and the rest of her chosen family. He talked about the Lighthouse and Daisy helping him move into his apartment.

“You like this girl, don’t you Daniel?” his father said, interrupting him after he’d been talking for several minutes about her. Daniel blushed, not agreeing with the statement but not disagreeing either. “Are you going to do something about it?”

“Dad, I can’t. She doesn’t… I don’t think she’d…” Daniel stammered, not being able to form the correct words in front of his father.

“For a writer, you sure can’t string words together sometimes. Look son, the only way you can know for sure is to ask. What’s the worst that can happen?”

“She could hear me.” Daniel smirked slightly, before his face returned to the slight frown he had been sporting when his father had started talking. “I don’t want to ruin the relationship we have right now with overstepping anything.”

His father hummed as he sipped his milkshake. “Who knows son, maybe she feels the same way. I’ll get to meet her tomorrow, though right?” Daniel shook his head and carried on eating, texting Daisy quickly that they’d both be there.

It wasn’t until he went to bed that night that he saw her response, making him smile widely.

_“Looking forward to it, remember to wrap up warm! – D x”_

* * *

San Francisco was a hell of a town, Daniel decided on the drive back to his apartment, after a day of sightseeing. Yes, his leg ached from walking the hilly streets all day, but the day spent with his father reminded him of trips they’d take alone together when he was young, exploring different cities and towns together. They’d had lunch in a park overlooking the bay and took pictures at the bridge to send to his sisters. He felt content as he sat down in his apartment, shutting his eyes to take a quick power nap before the evening’s festivities.

When he awoke an hour later it had just gone 4:30pm. Looking to his left as he stretched out his whole body, he saw his father sitting in the recliner by the window, sipping coffee and watching the world go by.

“Enjoying the view, Pops?” Daniel said, sleep causing his voice to come out somewhat hoarse. He swiped his hand down his face and through his curls, which had become ruffled in his sleep.

“Ah, you’ve done well for yourself, Daniel. I’m proud of you,” his father said. “Your mother would be too.”

“Thanks Dad, it’s only because you guys raised me the way you did. Encouraged me to be the best I could be. Read the stories I’d write in notebooks when I was 9.” The younger Sousa looked up at his father, grasping the hand that had fallen on his shoulder gently. They shared a look of admiration and knowing, before his father spoke up again.

“You should probably get dressed, I need to as well. Need to make a good impression on this Daisy gal.”

Daniel put his hand over his eyes as his father laughed, enjoying teasing him about the mysterious girl he was yet to meet. The men went into their separate rooms and got dressed. Daniel changed his jeans, and layered a shirt under a charcoal sweater, topping it off with his long brown winter coat in the hope that it would keep him warm. He gathered a few blankets in a rucksack and a camping chair he’d borrowed from Mack for his father before heading to the door. His father was waiting, wearing what looked like multiple sweaters under his windbreaker.

“I know they’ve insisted it won’t be too cold but, I’d rather be prepared than caught without anything” the older man said, as his son laughed at his slightly over the top outfit, that was causing him to resemble the Michelin man slightly.

“It’s fine Dad, have you got the pie?”

The man held up the plastic bag which contained the only thing Coulson had asked Daniel to bring, refusing to let him pitch in for anything else that they would need during the night. And with that the two men were off. Daisy had attempted to give Daniel directions or pointers to their usual Thanksgiving spot when he walked her home one afternoon and given that it wasn’t too far from his apartment, they chose to walk the short distance down the seafront.

The sun was beginning to dip in the golden sky, as the two men made their way onto the beach. The beach was practically empty, with just a few small groups huddled around fires spaced out over the large sandy area. Daniel pointed one of the groups out to his father and they began walking towards them. Daniel recognised Phil setting up the grill and Fitz and Mack huddled around the fire, attempting to light it. As they got closer, they could hear Hunter unhelpfully pointing things out about the fire, beer in hand, much to the chagrin of the two men doing any actual work. May noticed them first, waving and turning around to say something to the rest of the group. Daisy stood up from the sand where the she had been sat with Jemma, Elena and Bobbi and headed in their direction. He noticed Daisy was wearing her classic black jeans and tank top that he had seen her wear on many occasions but had also layered up with a large cream coloured cardigan that seemed to be fleece lined.

“Hey Daniel, you made it! Thought for sure you’d get lost on the way here.” She teased, smiling at him and making his heart swoop, a sensation he could not get used to no matter how frequently it occurred with her around.

“You know, I was in the boy scouts once. If anything would have let me down it would have been your shoddy directions.” He teased back, the ease flow of banter between them consistent as always.

“Alright enough of that, you must be Daisy, right?” His father questioned breaking up the two before they could end up flirting any harder in front of him.

“Yes sir, it’s nice to meet you Mr Sousa. I’m glad you came.” She shook the older man’s hand.

“Oh please, call me Joe. Mr Sousa makes me sound like an old man.” He said smiling at her. She noticed at this moment, it was a replica of Daniel’s smile. In fact, the older man passed on a clear resemblance to his son.

“You are an old man, Pops” Daniel said, drawing Daisy’s attention back to him. She smiled, he seemed so at ease and happy with a member of his own family by his side. It looked good on him. As did that sweater coat combo but she wasn’t gonna mention that idea out loud right now.

“We will have less of that Son, honestly no respect for his father this one.” Joe countered, poking fun at his son, slapping him on the shoulder as he did so.

“Anyway, let me introduce to this ragtag family, we’ll have to watch them try to start the fire which is always entertaining.” Daisy said, turning back to the group rolling her eyes as she saw Fitz throw sand at Hunter in annoyance.

* * *

The scene was rather domestic, Joseph Sousa was stood by the grill chatting to May and Coulson, helping out as much as he could while in a deep discussion with Phil about the American Civil War. Daniel watched his father cautiously as he stood with the other men of the group, who were currently discussing soccer – or football as Fitz and Hunter kept insisting – while skimming rocks across the top of the sea, further away from the rest of their group. His gaze drifted every so often to Daisy who was sat in between Jemma and May having an avid conversation with Elena about something he couldn’t quite hear, but when she threw her head back with laughter it caused an involuntary smile to cross his face.

“Sousa, we need to ask you something.” Daniel span around to the group of men he was currently stood next to, only just realising they had all gone silent and were looking at him. Except Fitz, who was looking at his feet, shifting his weight from side to side slightly. He took a step closer to them, giving them permission to continue.

“What are your intentions?” Mack said, loud enough to sound vaguely intimidating in his low register but not so loud as the girls could hear him.

“Intentions with what?” Daniel questioned innocently, an idea of what they were getting at growing in his mind but played into it a little bit.

“With Daisy. What are you intentions with Daisy?” Fitz said nervously, carefully looking around to make sure none of the girls were paying attention. He didn’t want to be on the receiving end of Daisy beating him up if she found out what they were doing.

“I don’t have any intentions,” he said with a straight-face, fully realising what was going on, as the three men were stood facing him.

“Yeah right” Hunter scoffed, Mack hit him on the shoulder at that, turning back to Daniel.

“Well then you better get some. Quick. Because this thing is coming for you.” Mack replied.

“This thing?”

“Mate, she’s into you.” Hunter said rolling his eyes, not understanding how people could be quite so oblivious.

“I’m think she even sure if she knows it yet, but pretty soon, she’ll figure it out. And once she does, watch out, because when she gets something into her head-” Mack explained calmly, as Sousa interrupted him

“She won’t stop. Yeah I noticed.”

“But listen, Daisy’s been hurt before, bad. I’m happy she’s ready to dive back in and you seem like a good guy, but we won’t let her get hurt again. You hear what I’m saying?” Mack said, standing up to his full height.

“I think you’re threatening me, Mack.”

“Not just him, mate. All of us.” Hunter chimed in, “And personally I wouldn’t want to get on May’s bad side. Or Bobbi’s. Or Elena’s”

“Or Daisy’s for that matter, she can handle herself.” Mack added nodding towards the group further up the beach

“And I have tech that you’ve never even seen.” Fitz added, drawing confidence from his two best friends.

“I hear you guys, I hear you.” Daniel said, a moment passing with the ocean and the fire being the only recognisable sounds, as he was stared down by the three men. He took another cautious glance at Daisy who was laughing again at something Jemma had said. “I would never hurt her.” He added sincerely. Mack nodded in agreement, apparently happy with the conclusion they had come to.

“Food’s up folks,” Coulson shouted to the group. Hunter pushed Fitz aside as he scrambled across the sand in the direction of the grill, and Mack’s laughter boomed slightly across the beach.

* * *

The sky glowed a gorgeous red, as the sun dipped closer to the horizon line, throwing its final golden beams down on the beach, as everyone finished up eating. Jemma, ever the thoughtful environmentally-concerned biologist went around ensuring they were leaving no trash behind, putting everything in a bag to be removed on the way home. Fitz sat tending the fire, adding more logs. Daniel sat on a blanket next to his father’s chair, watching the girl who was pouring cocoa into mugs with assistance from May and Elena who began handing them out. He couldn’t stop thinking about what Mack had said on the beach. Did she feel the same way about him? He couldn’t work out why, but he trusted that Daisy’s friends knew her well enough to know. It didn’t stop his heart beat quickening when he saw her walking towards him with three mugs of Cocoa balanced in her grip.

“Here you go, boys. Drink up to keep warm, we don’t know how long Fitzy’s fire will last.” She grinned, passing both Daniel and Joseph a mug, while Fitz shot her a glare.

“That was one time Daisy. And I got it going again… eventually.” Fitz said turning back to the fire. Daisy rolled her eyes as she sat down on the same blanket as Daniel, as he made space for her on his right hand side. She cupped her hands around the mug to warm up, and her hair fell around her face as she took a sip, humming at the smooth liquid which warmed her from the inside out. Daniel instinctively reached out to brush the strand of hair out of her face, placing it behind her ear, a soft smile coming over her face as he did so. Their eyes met, the flickering light of the fire reflecting on their faces. They were broken from this moment by Daniel’s father coughing loudly to get their attention. When they turned away from each other they suddenly realised all eyes were on them and they both immediately looked at the ground, blushing furiously. A hum of stifled laughter went around the group at their embarrassed reaction, but conversation picked up slightly as Coulson kicked off the thanksgiving tradition of everyone saying what they were thankful for this year. Daisy’s turn came around close to the end, leaving the two newcomers for last.

“Once again, I’m grateful for you lot, my family,” she said gesturing to the majority of the circle, making lasting eye contact with Coulson and May in particular, a silent message that both parties understood. “And new friends.” She added looking to Daniel, clinking their mugs together in a cheers. “Your turn Danny Boy.”

He straightened up slightly and cleared his throat, “I’m thankful for my family’s health,” a nod to his father, “my new friends around this fire, the Lighthouse coffee shop and the arduous journey that brought me to its door.” Daniel smiles down at Daisy, before looking around the circle to see everyone raising their mugs in agreement. Finally, he turned to his father, who met his eyes and spoke up.

“I’m thankful for my family, my son’s happiness and you lovely people who have made that possible.” He made eye contact with Daniel, clapping a hand down on his shoulder. “I’m also thankful for this fire because this may be California, but we’d still be freezing to death without it.” A round of laughs went around the group again, but they all agreed in his sentiment. With that conversation descended. The couples were all snuggled up with their partners as stories of past holidays were told, or of embarrassing moments in their pasts.

“Remember the time Fitz set up that mop with a mask on, on a pulley to scare Daisy, and ended up screaming in front of all the customers when he scared himself with it?” Jemma said, leaving both her and Daisy howling with laughter until they almost cried at the memory. When they’d both calmed down, Daisy leant forward and turned her head, talking across Daniel, to his father.

“What about this one Joe, he never tells us any embarrassing stories about himself? Any from when he was a kid?” Daniel chuckled slightly and looked to his Dad wondering what he was going to say.

“Did he never tell you about what happened at Camp?” Joseph asked, a wide smile crossing his face. Daisy shook her head no and Joseph continued tell the story of how Daniel had been in a group of boys who had stolen all the leader’s clothes one night while they were supposed to be asleep and hung them up in a tall tree.

“Oh yeah truly the bad boys of the Boy Scouts, if you ask me.” Daniel added, running his hand through his hair, knowing where this story was going.

“Sure, sure. But then half way through the night, Daniel here felt bad about it so snuck out of his tent again and he climbed the tree to get the clothes down. But when he got up there, he just froze in fear after untying the clothes. I came to pick him up the next morning and everyone was running around frantic because they couldn’t find him. Turns out, he was still in the tree, he’d been hanging on up there all night, freezing cold because he was too embarrassed to shout for help.” His Dad finished, laughing along with everyone around the fire. Daniel put his head in his hand laughing at himself slightly, as he felt Daisy put her hand on his back.

“So, you’ve always been a square then Daniel?” she asked teasing him.

“Yeah, I suppose I have,” he agreed with her, reflecting her smile back at her, a slight flutter in his chest as she shuffled closer to him. He felt her shiver slightly next to him, and pulled a blanket out of his rucksack, and handed it to her. She took it graciously and unfolded it, spreading it over both of their legs, her body pressed up against his side to keep warm. Conversation continued and before they knew it, the sky was inky black with the moon hanging high in the sky.

“Guys look at the stars. They’re so bright tonight.” Jemma said, as she pointed at the sky while laying on her back next to Fitz. Everyone looked up to see the dark sky littered with hundreds of small drops of light, twinkling in the vast depths of space. Jemma began pointing out the major constellations she could see, with Fitz occasionally finishing her sentences. Daniel looked around the group, to see everyone staring at the open sky taking in the majesty of the universe around them. Four months ago, he could not have imagined spending his Thanksgiving not in New York, but for this privilege he was grateful. It was pure luck that he had met a group of people that so readily took him in as one of their own.

“What you thinking about Sousa Junior?” Daisy whispered, handing him a marshmallow on a stick before throwing the bag of sweet treats at Fitz’s head, accidentally hitting Jemma in the process. She mouthed an apology to her best friend, before turning back to Daniel to hear his answer with interest.

“First of all, that nickname is not your best. And I’m just thinking about how I got here, with you guys right now. You couldn’t write this stuff, no one could have predicted it.” He said, pondering his own thoughts, as he held his marshmallow over the fire.

“I dunno, we’re pretty welcoming as a group, it’s pretty improbable that all of us would have ended up here all together anyway. I’m glad you’re here. You fit in.” Daisy said, placing her hand on his leg gently, in an effort to comfort and ground him. She leant more of her weight against a side to get his attention, and he looked down at her deep brown eyes.

“I’m glad too.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for all the kudos and comments! I appreciate your support more than you know.


	12. Christmas at the Lighthouse

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The transition into December hit the Lighthouse like a sleigh crashing through the window. Coulson had loved Christmas for years before Daisy met him, and every year he would close up the Lighthouse early on the first day of December, and they’d transform the shop into the most intricate Winter Wonderland that they could muster. Garland stretched across the mantle above the fire and twinkle lights adorning every place they could be strung up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I can't believe this is the final chapter! I hope you enjoy this seasonal chapter, even if it is very early.
> 
> I can't thank everyone who has read this enough, it has been a boost for my writing confidence that people have enjoyed reading this little story.
> 
> I do have more stories planned for this little universe (any suggestions welcome 🥰)
> 
> Thanks for Reading!

The transition into December hit the Lighthouse like a sleigh crashing through the window. Coulson had loved Christmas for years before Daisy met him, and every year he would close up the Lighthouse early on the first day of December, and they’d transform the shop into the most intricate Winter Wonderland that they could muster. Garland stretched across the mantle above the fire and twinkle lights adorning every place they could be strung up. Spray on snow in the windows, applied by May who was surprisingly good with a spray can of paint. Fitz always set up a train set that ran along the counter top, out of the way but adding a festive flourish to the place none the less. The main centre piece was always the tree, which stood proud and tall in the corner by the window next to the counter. It was decorated delicately with ornaments and warm lights, candy canes dotted around the branches, adding to the already cosy aesthetic of the shop. Sat upon the top of the tree was a sliver star, something Fitz had designed and made himself, as a gift for Coulson and May a few years ago, which had quickly become a staple in the tradition. Daisy sighed when it was finished and looked around their handiwork. The smell of freshly baked gingerbread and pine trees filled the rooms and made her feel at home. She saw Coulson press a soft kiss to May’s lips under the mistletoe above the kitchen door and watched as Jemma bickered with Fitz over the correct way to decorate a gingerbread man, the hum of Christmas carols flowing through the speaker. It was the magic she never got to experience as a child. She had well and truly found her home.

When Daniel entered the shop the next morning, Daisy watched from their usual spot as his jaw dropped at the transformation. He had so much work to do with his first edit for the book having come back early, so this cheerful experience was a welcome distraction from the looming headline he had. He looked around and took in the decorations with the excitement of a child on Christmas morning.

“This is incredible,” he said, still looking around. “Do you do this every year?”

“Yup, it’s another one of our traditions. Then me, Coulson and May have our Christmas here along with anyone who’s around. Fitzsimmons fly home normally, and it’s a bit hit and miss with Bobbi and Hunter. Mack and Elena are supposed to be spending it with his parents and brother. What are you doing for Christmas?” she inquired as Daniel paid for his coffee and muffin from May and slid half of the baked good over to her.

“Oh, I’m heading back to New York. I’ve got to do my Uncle duties, not seen the scamps in almost four months.” He said, smiling at the prospect. He did miss getting tackled to the floor by three flying children when he arrived, and the occasional video calls only showed him how much he was missing of their lives. “I’ve got to start my Christmas shopping at some point.”

“Oh, don’t get me started, do you know how difficult May is to buy for?” Daisy joked.

“I heard that!” May said from behind the counter, turning to head into the kitchen.

“What? There’s only so many leather jackets one woman can own May!” Daisy shouted after her, attracting the attention of some of the regulars who were dotted around the shop. “How’s the book coming along?”

“Good, I should be done reviewing by the 21st so I can fly back the day after that, spend the holidays properly with everyone without Peggy giving me grief.” He smiled, pulling out his laptop to get on with it. Daisy took out her own and began to do some maintenance on the Lighthouse computer systems, and inventory for the newer holiday stock. Even as they had gotten closer, they were still perfectly happy to sit opposite each other in comfortable silence as they both worked.

* * *

“I can’t believe this is happening,” Fitz said, furiously pacing the floor of the coffee shop, fiddling with his hands, as Jemma and Daisy looked intensely at the former’s laptop. “I cannot believe this is happening.”

“Fitz, its fine, calm down.” Jemma said approaching her boyfriend who seemed curiously emotional, placing her hands on his arms. “We will work it out, just like we always do.”

A storm was sweeping the east coast, snow drifts of over 8 ft, forcing all flights to be grounded. Daisy watched as Jemma comforted Fitz, who seemed rather more distressed at the prospect of a Californian Christmas than she expected. Her attention was drawn away from the couple as Daniel approached her as he hung up his phone.

“Yup so, my flight and all other flights to New York have been cancelled until the 26th. Good job I had all my presents shipped out there already.” He said, clearly dejected at missing his family Christmas as he leant against the bar next to Daisy. She covered one of his hands with hers and gave it a gentle squeeze.

“I’m so sorry Daniel.”

“It’s okay I suppose I can flight out the day after, the 26th.” He said, shrugging his shoulders slightly, squeezing her hand, trying to smile although his eyes showed the true sadness he was feeling. Daisy stood up and wrapped her arms around his waist, pulling him close to her. After tensing slightly, she felt him relax and his arm circled around her, holding her tight. They stood there for a while, and she felt his breaths even out slightly. She pulled back in his arms slightly and looked up at him, the closeness of their faces surprising them both slightly.

“But Jemma, I need to see my Mum!” Fitz exclaimed loudly from the other side of the room, pulling the pair apart as he caught their attention. Daisy would normally call him a toddler for throwing a fit like this, but something told her it was more than that. She unwrapped herself from Daniel and wandered past Fitz who was now standing with his hands on his hips walking up and down the shop again. She put the kettle on and knew exactly what to do in this situation. Tea. That would calm everyone down a bit, especially the Scottish scientist.

* * *

It had been decided that Christmas Eve was to be spent prepping the meal for Christmas Day, now that there were at least three added plates needed. Daniel had agreed to join in the fun and help with the prep. He laughed as Daisy put a Santa hat on Coulson’s head from behind, and the older man in response threw flour at her. She shrieked slightly as the powder settled in her hair and across her face. Just as she picked up some more to throw back at her father figure, she saw May glaring at the pair of them and she slowly released the flour from between her finger tips. She stuck her tongue out at Coulson as May turned back to the turkey and returned to Daniel’s side, wiping the flour off of her face. She bumped hips with him as they continued peeling carrots and parsnips, singing along to Christmas songs. At one point, Coulson grabbed May and span her round the kitchen in time to the music, the normally stern looking woman cracking a smile at her husband’s dorky dance moves. Daisy watched as the pair moved fluidly around the floor, in perfect step with one another.

“You dance much, Johnson?” Daniel asked, pulling her attention away from her parental figures.

“Nope, not at all. I’ve got two left feet.” She said giggling slightly. Daniel sighed and put down his potato peeler and approached her.

“I’m sure you’re not that bad, come on you can follow my lead for once.”

“I’ll step on your toes” she tried to stammer out.

“Well just avoid the right one and we’ll be okay” he said, taking one of hands and placing the other just above the waist. She relented, letting her free hand fall on his shoulder and began to follow him as he led her in a gentle dance around the shop. ‘Let it Snow’ began to play and to Daisy’s surprise, Daniel began to sing along in a smooth voice. He smiled at the shocked face that she sent him but carried on anyways. He twirled her out and she released a laugh at the actual smoothness of his motions as he pulled her back into him. They stayed like that for the rest of the song, in the warm light from the flickering fire, twirling and spinning with his arm around her and finished near the front door, just looking at each other. A cough from Coulson, pulled them away from each other. He was stood at the kitchen door with his arm around May smiling adoringly at the pair. They both chuckled slightly and untangled themselves, to carry on peeling potatoes until Coulson was satisfied that they were close enough to being finished ahead of the big day.

“Dais- we’re gonna head home so I can get here early in the morning to put the turkey in. You okay to lock up?” the older man asked.

“Sure AC- I got it.” She said giving the man a side hug as she put the final potato in the pot of water.

“Okay the office is locked up already, we’ll see you both tomorrow morning, Goodnight,” he said, taking May’s hand and shutting the front door behind them as they went. Daisy’s shivered at the gust of cold air that blew into the warm shop as the door opened and closed, she was not looking forward to walking home in that, no matter how short the walk.

Daniel lifted the large pot full of peeled potatoes and motioned for Daisy to open the big fridge in the corner. Daisy left the kitchen and started turning all the machines off, wiping down the surface as she did so. She thought about the man who was stood in the kitchen, washing knives and chopping boards. How could someone have wormed their way into her life like he had? The man who her family adored, who debated history with the closest thing she had to a father and worked out how to make her mother figure crack a smile. The man that made sure she got home safe when they were both drunk and danced with her while singing Christmas songs in their favourite coffee shop. Her heart quickened as she thought about how close they had been when they stopped dancing. What would have happened if Coulson hadn’t interrupted them? She knew what she would have liked to happen. It had taken her some time but the sparks between them and the genuine butterflies she felt when she looked to him to see him already looking at her, had been strong indicators on how she felt about him. Peggy’s words from a couple of months ago rang through her head. She breathed out slightly at the revelation she had had in her head.

“Anything I can do to help?” came the strong voice from behind her. She turned around to see him placing a tea towel down on the counter. Acting on a complete whim, she took two steps towards him and grabbed the lapels of his shirt and placed a kiss on his lips. She felt him tense slightly, so pulled back, afraid she’d crossed some line that he wasn’t ready for. There was no need however, as he chased her lips, hands on her waist pulling her closer to him as he kissed her back passionately. Her heart swelled in her chest. They stood in the light of the fire, fairy lights twinkling around them as they enjoyed the contact between them. He tasted of coffee and gingerbread. They stopped, resting their foreheads against one another, breathless.

“I didn’t know I was going to do that,” Daisy whispered.

“I think it’s about time one of us did. I’m glad you did.” Daniel said, smiling widely wrapping his arms around her body. She gave him another brief kiss and felt him smile against her lips. An adoring look was on his face as she pulled away from him, studying every inch of her face.

And after they locked up the Lighthouse, the winter air didn’t seem as cold as they walked down the street hand in hand.

* * *

Laughter was the main sound that echoed through the Lighthouse on the 25th of December. Excess furniture had been stacked in one corner and replaced by a table large enough to seat everyone. Presents wrapped in colourful paper sat beneath the tree and obnoxious Christmas music was blaring through the speakers. Everyone was sat around the table, Mack and Elena having spent Christmas eve with his parents had decided to have the Lunch at the coffee shop and Trip had arrived back in town a couple of nights ago. Everyone dug into the feast appreciatively and around bites of turkey and potatoes, Bobbi and Hunter regaled them with the story of their latest expedition to Thailand, where they had run into a mob and had had to escape through windows and across rooftops. Daisy couldn’t help but feel a little glad that it wasn’t her in that position. She glanced at Daniel who was focussed solely on Hunter’s probably exaggerated retelling of their exploits. She knew he was sad about missing out on his family Christmas, and despite that he still had a grin on his face and shared laughs with everyone.

After the meal was done and clean-up was well underway, Daniel quietly excused himself to video-call his family, and Coulson had offered him the office for a bit of privacy. Daisy was finishing up drying some of the dishes, when she glanced through the window at him, to see him smiling widely at his laptop and talking animatedly. Once everything was fixed and away, the whole gang headed for the sofa’s which had been repositioned near the Christmas tree. Daisy hung back slightly, putting her festive jumper back on and pushed open the office door, where Daniel met her eyes.

“We’re going to do presents, whenever you’re ready.” She whispered, pointing to the front of the shop but not wanting to rush him away from his family.

“Whose there, Uncle Daniel?” a small voice came from the computer. Daisy grinned but didn’t move. Daniel sighed and grabbed her wrist pulling her on screen so she was on screen, so his family could see her. On the screen there was one face she recognised as Joseph Sousa, who had two women who she assumed were Daniels sister on either side of him and three children sat in front of them.

“This is Daisy. Daisy, these are my nieces Amelia and Harper and my nephew, George.” He said pointing to each child as he did so, and they waved back in return. “And those are my sisters, Sarah and Sophie.” The women exchanged pleasantries and they made small talk for a while, mainly teasing Daniel, whose arm had fallen around Daisy’s waist as she perched on the arm of the chair he was sat on. After chatting for a couple of minutes, Daniel said goodbye to his family, promising he’d be seeing them in the next couple of days. George made him promise to build his new train track with him and after that seemed pretty content to let his uncle go. Daniel closed the laptop and pulled Daisy closer to him, so she was sat in his lap.

“I’m not going to lie, that I wasn’t expected to meet your whole family today.” She confessed straightening out the collar of his blue shirt. A favourite of hers on him.

“Well, I’ve met yours, only fair you met mine.” He chuckled, one hand on her legs and one on her back. Her hands came up to his face and she kissed him sweetly.

“WHEN DID THIS HAPPEN?” Once again, the pair were interrupted, this time by Jemma who was standing in the door open mouthed. She suddenly span round and practically ran into the main room.

Daisy and Daniel both chuckled slightly as she rested her head on his shoulder briefly.

“Well so much for keeping this to ourselves for the time being. I should have shut the door behind me.” She muttered into his shoulder, before standing up. “We should probably just face the music now before it gets worse.” He stood up beside her and pressed a chaste kiss to her lips before lacing their fingers together.

“Let’s do this now then.” He said, chuckling out of slight nervousness. And with that Daisy led him out of the kitchen and around the counter, to see everyone’s eyes already on them. Daniel waved slightly as if he was addressing a crowd. Daisy giggled and wandered over to her family with Daniel in tow.

“Yeah okay so, let’s get on with presents, shall we?” Daisy said taking a seat on the arm of the couch, Sousa sitting next to her.

“What? We’re not gonna talk about this?” Hunter asked indignantly, receiving a slap upside the head from Bobbi in response. He shrugged and started pulling a pile of presents towards him. It did not go unnoticed by Daisy that Elena passed Mack $20, as he had a massive grin on his face. As gifts were exchanged, smiles lit up around group and hugs were given out. Daisy received hugs from both May and Coulson when they opened their gift of an all-expenses paid vacation for them in the spring. She in return had received a leather jacket that she suspected had once been May’s, and she was delighted. She turned to Sousa and slid him a small red and white wrapped gift.

“It’s not much but I saw your old one was getting full.” She shrugged, waiting for him to open it. He ripped the paper to find a leather-bound notebook, with his initials stamped in the corner. Looking up at her with a wide smile, he reached under the sofa and pulled out a box of his own, handing it to her.

“I don’t know whether you’ll like it, but here’s this.” He said, a nervous shake in his voice. She carefully took the lid off the box, revealing a book laying surrounded by tissue paper.

_‘From the Shadows:_

_The First Instalment of the Skye Trilogy.’_

By Daniel Sousa

She looked to him a look of confusion on her face.

“I should probably explain a bit.” He said, hands drumming on his own legs. “Ever since I met you, in this shop about four months ago, you captured me and my imagination. I like to write what I know, and when I started writing these ideas down, they just kept flowing.” Daisy was looking from him to the book and back again. “It’s more of a young adult read, than my other books. It’s not your story, as I would never want to take advantage like that, but Skye is a version of you and she goes on these kickass adventures with her team and if you hate it I’ll just bin it…” and he was cut off by Daisy throwing her arms around him in a bear hug. He hugged her back and chuckled slightly nervously as everyone’s eyes were on them again.

“Daniel, that’s so sweet. How the hell do I inspire anything?” Daisy said shaking her head in disbelief at him.

“Just by being you.” He replied, looking deep into her dark brown eyes. Chuckling, he sat back on the couch and she cuddled into his side on the sofa, fingers tracing the title page of the book. Conversation started back up in the group, as everyone settled back down, mostly admiring gifts they had received.

And then Fitz stood up abruptly from between Jemma and Mack, causing everyone to look to him.

“Look, I’ve got something I want- need to do and this isn’t exactly planned on doing this, but I don’t suppose there will be a better time.” He looked to Coulson who gave him a firm nod, and then he turned to Jemma, who was sat on a chair next to the Christmas tree. “Okay, here goes. Well I’d originally planned to do this at your parents on Christmas eve and then everything went pear-shaped and I couldn’t get what I needed from Mum, so she had to ship it and I was scared it wouldn’t get here. But, anyway-” he knelt down on one knee next to the tree, and Daisy gasped sharply as she realised what he was blabbering on about.

“Jemma Simmons, every day since we met, we have been side-by-side the whole time, whether it was working on impossible problems in a lab or fixing coffee machines in this very shop. Now I know I love you with all of my heart, and a love like this is stronger than anything the universe. We’re unstoppable together. So, I’m on one knee here, in front of this group of our people, asking you to spend the rest of days with me. Jemma Simmons, will you marry me?”

Everyone’s breath was held for a moment, silence blanketing the room, except the gentle Christmas carols playing in the background. Daisy watched as tears leaked from Jemma’s eyes, as she threw herself at the love of her life.

“Yes, of course I will Fitz.” She exclaimed and there was a chorus of cheers in the shop as everyone rejoiced. Fitz slid the beautiful ring onto Jemma’s slender fingers, a perfect fit. Daisy felt the tears streaming down her cheeks before she knew she was crying with happiness. After the couple had had a moment to themselves, she threw her arms around both of them in congratulations. She had never been happier for two people. She stepped back to let everyone else have a moment with the new fiancés. She looked around the room at the people and the place she was right now and teared up again. Everything worked out, she was ridiculously happy.

* * *

Daniel stood back while the group crowded the newly engaged couple, not wanting to intrude too much on their moment. He watched as Daisy held on tight to her best friends and wiped the tears from her eyes when she took a step back. He was mesmerised by her before and he was in awe of her as a person. The strong front she usually put on through her humour or occasionally stony looks, was beginning to slip and in moments like this, it was nice to see her truly happy, surrounded by her family.

It took a moment for Daniel to realise Phil Coulson was stood next to him, also surveying the homely scene.

“I know Mack and the guys have already given you the shovel talk. So, I won’t do that.” Coulson said, not moving from his position next to the author. His voice was loud enough for Daniel to hear him clearly but so the rest of the group couldn’t hear.

“Thanks, sir. I-“ Daniel started before Coulson interrupted with a hand up.

“But if you hurt her, I will not hesitate to let May kick your ass.” And at the moment, May made eye contact with Daniel, as if she knew what was going on at that precise moment. A shiver ran down Daniel’s spine, under the look the woman was giving him. He had no trouble believing that May would be quite capable of incapacitating him, if she was compelled to.

“I’d never hurt her, sir.” He said, echoing his sentiment from when he’d had a similar chat on the beach with Mack, Fitz and Hunter.

“I don’t doubt it, but she’s the closest thing I have to a daughter.” Coulson replied clapping Daniel on the shoulder and making his way toward the rest of the group. Daisy wandered over to Daniel.

“Was that the ‘don’t hurt her’ talk I just witnessed?” she teased leaning into his side and tipping her head back to look at him. He responded by wrapping an arm around her as she turned to look at her family, resting her head against his chest.

“It was the second talk I’ve had off your family like that,” he said, chuckling when she shot him a confused expression. “Mack, Hunter and Fitz gave me a similar talk on the beach at Thanksgiving.”

Daisy buried her head into his chest out of embarrassment “Sorry about that, I guess they’re a little protective of me.”

“A little?” Daniel responded, eyebrows raised sarcastically.

“Okay, very.” She giggled. And right there wrapped in his arms, watching her family celebrate, all was well.

* * *

It hadn’t taken long for Daniel to feel like California was the place for him. But after four months in this town, he’d found his compelling reason why. Looking out at the ocean, feeling the wind whip his face, the salt air fresh in his lungs, he revelled in the pure joy he was felt in his soul. And as she came and stood beside him, interlocking their fingers as she leant against him, he found his heart beating stronger in his chest. His past wasn’t a strain on him but had taught him the lessons that had led him to where he was now. This future shone bright in his mind. And he lived for the hope of it all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There is now a series of one shots uploaded for this Brought Me to You series! I'm adding more to it regularly and welcome suggestions or prompts!
> 
> Thanks for reading, hope you enjoyed it!

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! Hope you enjoyed.


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